Caught
by inee
Summary: Stefan and Damon want to give Klaus the doppelganger in return for Katherine. After searching for over a century, they find Elena and kidnap her. She knows the brothers will sacrifice her, but falls in love with Damon. Can she change his mind? D/E
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hi everyone! I'm trying something new here, so I hope you like it :). Unlike my other stories, this one is Vampire Diaries TV-Show universe, not book-universe. If you don't know about Klaus's curse and the doppelganger, you might be a bit confused in this first chapter (I only wrote about it briefly). But don't worry, everything will be explained later on. So, book-fans, there's no reason why you shouldn't read this, the way I write the characters is exactly the same :).**

Disclaimer: I don't own the vampire diaries, those amazing writers do.

**Enjoy!**

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><p>1864 –MysticFalls<p>

_Two brothers, Damon and Stefan, loved a girl. She was sweet, innocent and beautiful. Her name was Katherine, and she had a secret. She was a vampire. The brothers didn't care, knowing her better made them love her even more. They wanted her forever, and both chose to live with her in the world of shadows. Katherine was fond of the boys, and changed them both. But it didn't take long before the brothers began competing and fighting for her affection, and eventually, they agreed that something had to change. They asked her to choose. Katherine was torn, but she knew that her boys wouldn't share. Before she was able to tell which brother she loved most, a grave danger she had been running from caught up with her. In the night before she was taken away from them, she told her boys about the doppelganger._

"Why are you so afraid, Katherine? You must know that my brother and I will protect you with our lives." Stefan said, taking Katherine's hand. She looked frightened and breakable, and he didn't understand why she hadn't told them she was in danger.

"My dear Stefan," She said, stroking his cheek. "You can't protect me from Klaus, he'll kill you. That's why I don't want you near him." Her eyes were wet with tears.

"We'll run away with you, they would never find us." Damon said.

"I've been running from him for hundreds of years, he found me and he won't let me get away now. The minute I set one foot outside of this house, he'll take me." She sobbed. Damon reached out to wipe her tears away.

"But why do they want you?" Stefan said.

"There is a curse, and Klaus wants to lift it. But to do that, he needs the doppelganger. There is only a doppelganger once every few centuries, and_ I_ was the doppelganger when I was human. In the ritual of breaking the curse, the doppelganger has to die. I became a vampire to save my own life, and prevented them from breaking the curse. Klaus wanted revenge, he wanted to kill me, so I ran. I haven't stopped running."

Stefan and Damon both didn't know what to say.

"Katerina!" a voice sounded from outside.

Katherine whimpered and hugged both boys. They could feel her tremble in their arms, and didn't want to let go.

"I have to go now, or he'll kill both of you, too." Katherine kissed their cheeks.

They started to argue, but she was gone instantly.

Stefan and Damon ran outside, calling her name. They stopped short when they saw her. Klaus had his hand around her throat, and she was struggling for air. He was smiling pleasantly at them, his hand closing even more when Damon tried to come closer.

"Please, let her go." Stefan said, he couldn't stand to see Katherine's tears. "We'll do anything, just let her go."

He saw Katherine shake her head.

"We will find the doppelganger for you." Damon said.

Klaus tilted his head, looking interested.

"Yes!" Stefan said, "we'll find the doppelganger, we'll bring her to you."

"If you bring me the doppelganger, you can get Katerina in exchange. If she's still alive, of course. Maybe I'll lose my patience over the years. Prepare yourselves, there's a long time between doppelgangers. Believe me, I would know."

And then he was gone, taking Katherine with him, leaving Damon and Stefan stunned in front of the house. He was gone faster than they would've believed, and for a few moments, they didn't quite know what to do.

Then they began organizing.

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><p><span> Present Day<span>

_There's something special about today, _

Stefan wrote in his journal.

_I feel like something is going to happen, something important. We have been waiting for so long now, for centuries, and something tells me that the waiting is finally over. I can't let myself hope, but I keep imagining what it would be like to finally find her. My brother is tense, too. But he won't admit it. We can both feel it in the air._

_We don't know what we will do when we have Katherine back. Our truce will be over, and for one of us, everything we have done will lead to nothing. I won't resent him, or Katherine, if she chooses him. I keep telling myself that all I want is for her to be safe, away from Klaus, and with whoever she loves most. But if that person is not me, I will leave. I won't look for her ever again, because I wouldn't be able to bear the sight of her and Damon together._

_For now we just have to focus on finding the doppelganger._

Stefan looked up from his journal when his brother walked in. Damon had been on the phone with someone for a long time, and Stefan had been wondering if it was the call they'd been waiting for. He looked at his brother expectantly.

Damon's eyes shone with excitement, he gripped the edge of the leather couch, forcing himself to stand still.

"Pearl called. We found the doppelganger, Stefan." Damon said, his voice rough.

Stefan let out the breath he'd been holding.

"So what do we do now?" He asked, getting up immediately.

"We'll go and get her. And then we start looking for Klaus." Damon said, frowning.

Over the years, finding Klaus had become a bigger problem than finding the doppelganger. Everywhere, there were vampires keeping an eye out for someone looking like Katherine. But Klaus was almost impossible to find. They sometimes got information from people who worked with him, but those witches and vampires often disappeared, too.

Stefan was feeling dizzy. He'd been dreaming about this for so long now, planning everything out, and suddenly he didn't know what to do.

"Pearl's in Mystic Falls, we're meeting her on the outside of town. I'll start the car." Damon said, and headed outside.

Mystic Falls. Who would've thought that they could've just stayed where they were, and they would've found the doppelganger eventually. Stefan shook his head and then followed his brother outside.

When they were on their way, a tense silence hung between them. They were both looking at the road, avoiding each others eyes. They hadn't fought much over the years, which had surprised Stefan. He guessed it was their agreement to free Katherine which held them together. And they needed each others company.

When they were nearly there, Damon parked the car. They quickly caught Pearl's scent and followed it until they saw her standing next to her car. At Pearl's side was a girl, her hands tied in front of her,Pearl held one of her wrists.

Stefan had thought he was prepared for this, but clearly he wasn't. His mouth opened in shock, he couldn't move, couldn't _think_. She looked exactly like Katherine. The only thing different were her clothes. The girl was wearing jeans, and Stefan found it odd to look at Katherine dressed like that. But she _wasn't_ Katherine, he needed to get that in his head. When he was able to move, he looked at Damon. Damon was surprised, too, he could tell. His eyes were troubled, shocked and confused, all at once. Then he seemed to pull himself together, and his face didn't show any emotion.

"So, you definitely found her." Damon said.

Pearl nodded. "I know, the resemblance is amazing. Her name is Elena."

"Elena." Damon repeated. He winked at her, and she scowled at him.

Pearl nudged Elena forward, she stumbled a bit and fell against Stefan. He caught her but she wriggled out of his light hold and backed away.

"Don't touch me." She said, her voice shaky.

Damon sighed and went to stand in front of her. He held up her chin and looked into her eyes.

"You'll do as I say." He said slowly, his voice hypnotizing.

Stefan knew what he was doing, but it didn't seem to be working.

"Um, yes, I was going to tell you that." Pearl said. "Compulsion won't work. My daughter, Anna, is friends with her brother, and I'm afraid she told him about the vervain."

Damon cursed.

"It will be out of her system soon enough." Stefan said.

"What about my brother? You have to leave Jeremy alone." Elena was almost begging them.

"We don't care about your brother." Damon told her without looking at her.

Stefan frowned. "Did you tell Anna about any of this?"

"Anna doesn't know. She spends too much time with that Jeremy to notice anything. But you should stay away from Mystic Falls. My daughter's not stupid and it wouldn't take her long to connect your presence to this girl's disappearance. I hope you find Katherine, and you should be glad she and Anna never met."

"Thank you for your help." Stefan said.

Pearl nodded at them and then got into her car.

Stefan and Damon watched her drive away and then turned to Elena simultaneously.

"So what do we have here?" Damon smirked, circling her.

"What's going on?" Elena asked, turning around so she could watch Damon. "Who are you?"

"Long story, very boring." Damon said.

Stefan sighed. He couldn't imagine how scared she must be. "We'll tell you, but my brother's right, it _is_ a long story, so we're leaving first." He didn't want to stay in Mystic Falls for too long. "I'm Stefan, and that's Damon." He said, gesturing at his brother.

Damon walked over to the car and opened the door to the backseat. Elena didn't move.

"Don't make this difficult," Damon complained, looking at Elena. "if you want to stay conscious, you get in the car by yourself."

Stefan shot his brother a dark look, and Damon rolled his eyes in return. "She's not a baby." He muttered, while closing the door.

When Damon started driving, he made sure all the doors were locked. Something told him that this girl wouldn't mind jumping out of a driving car if it meant she could escape. And he knew that Stefan didn't see it. Stefan didn't see that this girl was filled with fire, he would give her anything because he wouldn't want her to feel scared. Damon told himself he wouldn't be fooled by her big, sad eyes. When he looked in the rear-view mirror, he noticed that those eyes were crying.

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><p>Elena curled up in the back of the car, pulling her knees up and wrapping her arms around them. She was feeling strangely numb. She didn't really understand what had happened, it seemed unreal, as if she were watching a movie of someone else's live. Why had they been talking about her brother? Would they take him, too? Because that was what they had done, they had taken her away. Away from her home, from her family. Pain pierced through her heart when she realized that it was likely she wouldn't see them again.<p>

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><p><strong>AN: I hope you liked it! This was kind of an introduction to the story. Please tell me what you thought about it. Love? Hate? Should I continue with this? Where do you want this story to go? Don't be shy ;)<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I don't have a lot to say, I just want to thank everyone who added this story to their favorites or story alerts. There were so many of you! Thank you so much! Also, the ones who reviewed, you made me very happy :)**

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries, the writers do._

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><p>Elena had fallen asleep during the ride but she was waking up now. She could hear Stefan and Damon talk softly to each other. They were talking about <em>her<em>.

"What are we telling her?" one of them said. She couldn't tell which one of them it was, they were talking too softly, and she didn't want to open her eyes and let them know she was awake.

"We should tell her everything. She has a right to know." The other said.

"Yeah sure, and a right to freak out and escape."

"I'll keep an eye on her. She won't try to escape."

"You're so naïve, little brother. She'll stake you the first chance she gets. And besides, you can't watch her, you need to get information about Klaus. Everyone likes you better." Elena guessed that this was Damon.

"You better not scare her when I'm away. Be nice to her." Stefan said. Elena didn't like this, why was he leaving? She was afraid of both of them, but Stefan seemed to be the nicer one. She didn't like the way Damon looked at her.

Damon snorted, and they didn't speak after that. Elena was really awake now, so she opened her eyes, blinking. The sun was disappearing behind the trees and it was getting darker.

"Our sleeping beauty awakens." Damon said, smirking at her in the rear-view mirror.

She shot him a dark look at the word 'our', she wasn't one of their possessions, and looked out of the window. They weren't anywhere near a city, trees lined the street on both sides, and she couldn't see any houses. The view was boring, so Elena's thoughts wandered. What were they talking about earlier? What did they have to tell her?

Elena's muscles were aching from sitting in the same position for so long. They'd been driving for _hours_. It had gone completely dark outside, so she couldn't even look out the window. She didn't like the darkness, she wanted to be able to _see_ Stefan and Damon. Somehow, she could feel their presence in front of her, as if they were dangerous, and it scared her. She remembered there being a light-switch in the back of one of her friends' car. When she felt around, she found a little button next to her, and her finger hovered above it. Was it a light-switch? Or would she suddenly turn on the radio or open the window?

"You can turn on the light, that's the right button." Stefan said.

Elena jumped. How was it possible that he'd seen her? She hit the button, because she was dying to be out of this darkness. Light flooded the car and she sighed, not understanding why she'd been so scared. They couldn't hurt her, Damon was driving and she was sitting too far away from Stefan, but she could still hear her heart beating.

When Elena heard gravel crunch beneath the car, Damon slowed down. The car made a sharp turn and then came to a stop. Damon got out without looking at her, and Stefan turned around in his seat.

"I convinced my brother that carrying you inside isn't necessary, I knew you wouldn't want that, so please don't try to run. It wouldn't do any good." He said.

She managed a curt nod.

"We won't hurt you. We'll tell you everything you want to know, but I want to get you inside and calmed down first, okay?" His voice was low, gentle.

Elena didn't like the way he talked to her, he acted as if she were a baby. She got out of the car and headed towards Damon, who was lit up by the car's headlights. She was afraid of him, but she wouldn't let that show. He threw her a smile, as if to say 'well done', then he turned and opened the door to the house in front of them.

When Elena turned her head and saw Stefan come closer, she regretted what she'd done. He'd tried to be gentle, he didn't want to scare her. And she was scared enough as it was, so she told herself to appreciate his efforts. She gave him a small, apologizing smile before following Damon into the house.

It had been too dark outside to really see the house, but Elena thought that it must be huge. The front door opened to a big hall with a high ceiling and large windows made out of stained glass. The walls were painted a chocolate brown. There were four doors leading to rooms on the right, and five doors on her left. In any other situation, Elena would've been dying to discover what was hidden behind every door. A dark, wooden staircase was tucked in a corner, leaving the room empty.

Stefan closed the door behind her and came to stand next to her. He pointed to one of the doors on the right.

"That one's your room, there's a bathroom behind it."

Elena turned to him and closed her eyes for a second, thinking.

"I realize that you're trying not to scare me, and I appreciate that, but acting as if this is normal really doesn't help." She backed away from him, so she could look at both of them. "Why am I here, what do you need me for?"

Stefan looked at the ground, and Damon watched him expectantly, as if he didn't know either. Then Damon's expression changed, he seemed to realize something.

"Go, Stefan. I'll take care of it." He said, nodding towards the front door.

Elena frowned at Damon and when she turned to look at Stefan, he was gone. She hadn't heard him leave, or the door open and close.

When she turned back to Damon, he was standing right in front of her, so close they were almost touching. Elena backed away, feeling as if she was going crazy.

"What's going on?" She asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

"Do you want to know the truth?" Damon said, smiling a wicked smile.

Elena nodded, but backed away from him.

He closed in on her, and kept her from backing away again by wrapping one arm around her waist. He was surprisingly strong, and she couldn't move at all, let alone run away. She didn't know what he was going to do, but she knew she wasn't going to like it. She turned her head away and closed her eyes. She could feel his breath on her face.

"Open your eyes, Elena." He whispered.

Elena automatically did, even though she didn't want to. His face was only an inch away from hers, and he looked at her intensely. Something in his face changed, his pupils seemed to turn black and red veins became visible underneath his eyes. Elena couldn't make a sound, but when he opened his mouth to show her his teeth, she found her voice again and screamed. She screamed so hard it hurt her own ears. He didn't move away, he just smiled. He bend his head down and she saw him eye her throat. She didn't understand what was happening, all she knew was that it was _not good_. She kicked him and pushed against his chest and scratched him, but it only made him laugh. He didn't even seem to feel it. She hadn't stopped screaming, and he used his free hand to cover her mouth. Elena felt tears running down her face and braced herself. He would kill her.

Then, suddenly, something threw itself at her, making her and Damon topple over. She didn't look to see what it had been, she just scrambled away from Damon as quickly as possible. Barely able to see because of the tears and the fear, she ran across the empty hall, heading towards the room Stefan had pointed out to her. She yanked the door open, glad that it wasn't locked, and slammed it shut behind her. She was relieved to see that she could lock it from the inside. She leaned back against the door, taking a few deep breaths, and slid down to the floor.

She was shaking all over and forced herself to calm down. Was she imagining things? She tried to hear what was happening on the other side of the door. She heard muffled yelling, Stefan's voice.

"What were you thinking, you idiot?"

"I thought you were the one who said she should know everything." Damon said calmly.

"But not like that! That wasn't what I meant and you know it! We're having problems enough as it is, you don't need to make it extra difficult."

"Oh, so you think that breaking it to her gently will warm her to the idea of being given to Klaus? That's a great idea!"

Elena didn't want to hear anymore. She would ask Stefan later. She was a gift? Was she supposed to know who Klaus was? She'd never even heard the name before they'd talked about him in the car. And what did that Klaus want her for? Her head hurt and she was exhausted.

When she looked around the room, she was pleased to see that there was a bed waiting for her. She thought she was going to have to sleep in her clothes, but when she neared the bed, she saw a nightgown lying on the pillow. A shiver ran down her spine when she saw that it was her size, how had they known? Had they been watching her? Knowing that they would take her and waiting for the right moment? She put the nightgown on anyway and placed her clothes on a chair in the corner. Then she pulled the sheets up to her chin. Before going to sleep, she looked around the room. There was a door in the back, probably leading to the bathroom Stefan had told her about. The walls were the same chocolate brown as the ones in the hall, adding a cosy feeling to the room. There were no windows.

A knock on the door startled her.

"Elena?" It was Stefan.

"Leave me alone! I'm going to sleep." Elena answered.

"Okay. I know you won't, but you can call me when you need anything. I promise you, I won't hurt you." He said.

Elena almost laughed, she wasn't calling him anytime soon. But she did realize that she believed Stefan when he told her he wouldn't hurt her. He'd said something like that in the car, too. And suddenly she grasped that it had been Stefan who'd knocked her and Damon to the ground.

She forced herself to think of something different, so she could fall asleep. But the last thing which came to her mind was an image of Damon's face. And she hated that, even after what had happened, she couldn't help but notice how good-looking he was.

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><p>Jeremy opened the door to his room, and swore when his elbow knocked hard against the wood. He shut up immediately when he saw Anna. She was curled up on his bed, sleeping. He froze and waited a few seconds, making sure he hadn't woken her up, and then silently sat down on the bed. Anna was laying on top of the covers, her hands folded underneath her cheek. He smiled and carefully pushed her hair away from her face. She was beautiful, and he loved the way her hair curled, the way her lips were slightly parted as she breathed.<p>

When he shifted his weight, Anna moved. She opened her eyes and smiled at him, then she lifted her arms above her head and stretched out her legs, sighing. She reminded him of a cat.

He lay down beside her, his hands behind his head, starring up at the ceiling.

"How long have you been waiting here?" He asked.

"Hmm. A few hours, I guess." She answered.

"You should come through the front door, you know." He smiled. "So I don't waste my time waiting for you while you're already here."

"Jer? Does Elena know my mom?"

Jeremy was confused. "I don't know, maybe. Why do you ask?"

"I think I caught her scent in our car, this morning. But it could've been on me, too. I'm not sure, but it confused me."

"Huh. Elena was with Caroline yesterday. They had a sleepover, and she's probably still there. So it must've been you."

"Yeah, I guess so." Her voice sounded weird when she said that.

Jeremy turned his head to look at her. He hadn't noticed, but she'd moved to the edge of the bed while they'd talked.

"You're uncomfortable. You're thirsty." He frowned.

Anna looked at him guiltily. "I'd hoped you wouldn't notice."

He pushed himself up on one elbow and rolled his eyes. "Of course I do. Come here."

He reached out and pulled at her hand. She scooted closer. He tried to surprise her and pinned her arms down above her head with one hand, tickling her side with the other. She'd seen him coming, he knew, but she didn't resist. She giggled, which he thought was cute, and tried to wriggle away. She wasn't really trying, though, because a few seconds later, she was suddenly sitting on top of him, her knees on either side of his chest. She bend down and the ends of her hair tickled his face.

He reached up and laid his hand in her neck, pulling her face to his so he could kiss her. He saw her hesitating and her eyes became dark, so he changed his mind. He turned his head to the side and pulled the collar of his shirt down. She leaned in and kissed his neck before biting it. He barely even felt it when she bit, and stroked her hair as she drank. He loved that she'd told him about herself, that she'd trusted him with her secret, because if she hadn't, he would've never known how incredible this felt.

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><p><strong>AN: That was chapter 2! Did you like it? What do you think about the JeremyAnna part? Would you like it if I made them kind of important to the story? Anything else you want to tell me?**

Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hi everyone! I'm sorry for the long wait :s I haven't had much time lately.. I'll try to be less slow ^^. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter :) **

_Disclaimer: I don't own the vampire diaries.._

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><p><strong>Elena POV<strong>

When Elena woke up, she didn't want to open her eyes. She wanted to pretend that she was just at home, that she would hear Jeremy stumble around in the bathroom and Jenna in the room next to her. But she could feel the sheets against her skin, much smoother and softer than the ones at home, and she could smell the dust in the room, it must've been empty for a long time. Eventually, she got out of bed and got dressed. She didn't know what to do after that. There was no window, and she wouldn't face Stefan and Damon, so she wasn't leaving her room.

She opened the drawers in the closets, curious as to whose room this was. It seemed to be a guestroom: there were clothes for men and women, in almost every size. And they weren't new clothes, it seemed as if everyone who'd stayed here had left something. She found earrings in a corner of the closet, sheet music in a top drawer, a shirt in her size on a hanger. When she opened another closet, she gasped. A stack of clothes was tossed into a corner, and even from where she stood, she could see the dark, red stains on them.

Blood.

She didn't want to touch it, but she did crouch down to see better. They were a girl's clothes, and it was definitely blood. Elena brought a hand to her mouth and scrambled back. Would her clothes end up on the floor of one of these closets? Would another girl be horrified at finding them? How many times had those brothers locked someone up in here? She pushed the closet shut with her foot and leaned against the door.

A few minutes later, someone knocked on the door. Elena was still sitting against it, and she wouldn't let anyone in.

"Elena? Are you awake?" Stefan asked.

"Yes."

"Will you open the door?"

"No."

"I need to talk to you."

"I can hear you just fine."

A sigh.

She heard him sit down on the other side.

"I have to leave in a few days, and I want you to know everything before I let you alone with Damon."

"You're leaving?" Elena's voice sounded higher than she intended.

"He won't do anything like he did last night."

"Yeah, please tell me about that. What _exactly_ was he trying to do last night?"

Silence.

"Just tell me, Stefan. I'm completely freaking out, and I think I have reason enough. I just found girl's clothes covered in blood and I'm hoping you can give me a less horrible explanation than the one I have in my mind." Elena was talking fast, and she wasn't sure if she was making sense.

"I can, actually." Stefan seemed happy to be able to give her some good news. "But I need to tell you some other things first."

"Go ahead."

"It's a long story, but the first thing you need to understand is that vampires exist." He began.

Elena didn't react. She told herself she would listen to him first.

"Me and Damon, we used to be in love with the same girl. Her name was Katherine, and that was in 1864. She was a vampire, Elena. I don't know what you're thinking because I can't see your face, but you have to believe what I'm telling you."

Elena frowned. Why would it be so hard for her to believe that? Sure, vampires were mythical creatures, but didn't she see Damon's face the night before? When she thought about it, she wasn't at all that surprised. Crazier ideas had bounced around in her head that night.

When Stefan realized she wouldn't answer, he went on. "She turned us into vampires, but you probably figured that one out already. Katherine was a doppelganger, there is a doppelganger every five hundred years, a girl who looks exactly like the previous doppelganger. What we didn't know, was that an ancient vampire, Klaus, was hunting her. There is some kind of curse he wants to break, and he needs to kill the doppelganger to do that. Now, the doppelganger has to be alive to break the curse, and to save her own life, Katherine turned herself into a vampire. Vampires are technically dead, you see, so Klaus couldn't perform the sacrifice ritual to break the curse. He was mad at her, and hunted her down. When he finally found her, Damon and I weren't about to let him kill her. We promised him that we would bring him the next doppelganger in exchange for Katherine, and he agreed."

Elena had started to feel colder and colder while Stefan told her his story.

"I am the doppelganger." She whispered.

"You are." Stefan answered. So vampires could hear better. And see better, she realized, thinking about Stefan being able to see her in the dark car.

"I'm going to be killed so you can have your girl back." She said, choking on the words.

Stefan didn't answer.

"So why don't you take me to him now? Why are you leaving first? How long are you keeping me here?" Elena tried not to think about how it would feel, to wait for death to arrive. Her days were numbered.

"When we figured out where you were, we thought it was too dangerous to leave you again. If you fell of the stairs, or were hit by a car or something like that, we'd have to wait another five hundred years."

Elena couldn't breathe, this was too much to think about.

"I can't listen to this anymore. Just tell me one thing, what's your explanation for the clothes in the closet? The ones with the blood?" Elena didn't know why such a detail would bother her so much, but it did.

"Your room is the one most of our guests use when they're staying here, because it doesn't have any windows, and they can't stand sunlight. I don't feed on humans, I hunt animals. When a friend of mine was staying here, she tried to hunt animals once, but she wasn't very good at it and she ruined her clothes. I don't know why she didn't wash them or threw them away, but it's no human blood, Elena."

Elena wanted to know more about the whole vampire thing. If Stefan was leaving her here with Damon, she wanted to know a bit more about him.

"So, vampires. There not all bad, then?" She tried to piece together what Stefan had said about the animals.

"I don't know a lot of others who hunt animals, but even those who drink human blood aren't always monsters."

"What are you trying to say? Don't they kill?"

"It would be much easier to talk to you if you opened your door, you know."

"I'm not doing that. Yet."

"Okay then. Most of us drink human blood, that doesn't mean they kill humans. You can leave someone alive and erase their memory, or you can use blood bags. That's what Damon does."

"But yesterday he tried to bite me?"

"He won't do that again."

Elena didn't answer.

"I promise."

She didn't know why she should believe his promises either.

"We can act like normal people. If you need prove, think of Anna, your brother's girlfriend."

"Anna's a vampire?" Elena asked, disbelievingly. She liked Anna. "Does Jeremy know?"

"He does."

Elena was trying to process everything Stefan had told her. From them being vampires to her being as good as dead to Jeremy and Anna. Her head was about to explode.

"Leave, please." She told Stefan.

She heard him get up and leave. Her head hurt and her heart was beating fast. She would take a shower and try to calm down. Then she would think about everything. She pulled herself together and headed towards the bathroom.

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><p><strong>Damon POV<strong>

Damon had been listening to the conversation between Elena and Stefan. He didn't really know what to think, so he told himself that he didn't care. Stefan entered the room, sighed and sat down in a leather chair. He placed his elbows on his knees and held his head in his hands.

"You shouldn't be so friendly." Damon said, sitting down across from his brother.

Stefan lifted his head and raised an eyebrow.

"She'll think that you care about her, she'll be all sad and weepy so you'll change your mind. And you'll start to care about her and change your mind. I know you."

Stefan rolled his eyes. "Being friendly doesn't hurt Damon. It doesn't mean anything either."

"That's what you say _now_. But don't you feel a little guilty, a little bit sad for her?" Damon narrowed his eyes. Stefan was too soft and it had always been Damon's job to prevent that from messing things up. They made quite a good team.

"Of course I do, but do you really believe that I will think about that for even a second when we get Katherine back?"

Damon had to admit that Stefan had a point.

"So when do you leave?" He asked. He wanted to have fun with Elena, but Stefan had interrupted him the night before, so he would wait until they were alone.

"In five days. You're not getting anywhere near her." Stefan warned him.

Damon tried his best at looking innocent, but he didn't really know how that was done. He settled for big eyes. He could see Stefan try to hold back his laughter and look mad at the same time.

"I'm serious, Damon. Don't forget that we have to keep her alive."

So he could have fun, as long as he made sure she stayed alive? "No problem."

Stefan rolled his eyes but didn't comment.

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><p><strong>Elena POV<strong>

By the time Elena got out of the shower, she'd calmed down a little. She wouldn't think about it anymore, at least for a while. The one thing she couldn't stop thinking about now, was food. She was _so_ hungry! When was the last time she'd eaten anything? She decided to get over herself and get out of this room.

She carefully opened her door and tip-toed across the hall, though she didn't know why she was being so silent and sneaky. She guessed that they would hear her anyway. One of the doors was slightly ajar, so she pushed it open a little. She saw Damon and Stefan sitting in dark, leather chairs. Stefan sat with his back to her, but Damon saw her enter and flashed a smile.

"Couldn't resist me any longer?"

Elena wasn't sure if leaving her room had been such a good idea.

Stefan had turned around in his chair and saw her back away.

"No, come in. You shouldn't lock yourself up all the time."

Elena closed the door behind her and hesitantly entered the room.

"I'm hungry." She said.

"I'll get you something. You can take my chair." Stefan said. He stood up and headed towards another part of the room which was hidden behind a corner.

Elena sat down because she didn't know what else to do, she looked around the room and tried to avoid looking at Damon. When she did, he winked at her. She glared at him but quickly looked away. A tense silence surrounded them while they waited for Stefan to come back, and Elena could feel his eyes on her the entire time. When Stefan returned, he gave her a bowl of soup with warm bread. Elena concentrated on her food and left the room right after she was finished.

Over the next five days, some things changed. Elena began to feel more comfortable around the brothers. They talked, and Elena learned more about vampires, Klaus and Katherine. She didn't spend as much time in her room and joined them in the living room instead. It seemed to her that life as a vampire was pretty boring, since they never really did anything but read or watch TV, but then she guessed that it was probably because they were guarding her. She was rarely left alone in the house. The second evening, she opened every door she could find and examined every room. Stefan was near her all the time, in the room next to her or across from her. And even though he was nice to her, part of her would be glad when he left. Damon never hovered, but she knew that he could hear everything she did. Elena was incredibly bored, though the house was big and filled with millions of things, she couldn't find anything which held her attention. Anything but Damon.

Something strange had happened during those five days. At first, Damon had smirked or winked at her whenever she met his eyes, and Elena had glared at him and turned away. She'd hated the way he looked at her.

But after a while, she began to like it. Her eyes met his on purpose, and she looked away quickly, only pretending to be mad. It became a game, sneaking glances at each other, being caught and looking away.

Their game changed. Instead of glaring at him, Elena was now smiling a little, her eyes twinkling.

_I'm acting as if he's a boy I met at a party, _she thought to herself._ I'm flirting with him as if this is normal._

But it didn't stop her for long. One time, she felt his eyes on her and she looked up, winking at him. She laughed out loud when she saw his surprised face. Surprise changed into to amusement and he grinned at her.

Stefan looked up at them, puzzlement clear on his face. Was it possible that he hadn't noticed anything at all? Damon and Elena were long past being subtle. Elena rolled her eyes, which made Damon laugh out loud.

She knew it wasn't right, but at the end of those five days, she couldn't wait for Stefan to be gone.

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><p><strong>AN: So, we're getting closer to more Damon-Elena stuff :) I hope you liked this chapter! What do you think about the way Elena reacts to everything? Do you want more Damon POV? Is there anything else you want to say?<strong>

Thank you so much for reading! And about the review replies: I usually reply to everyone, but fanfic was acting weird and wouldn't let me post any replies. So everyone who did review last chapter, thank you so much!


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hi everyone! I know I'm very late, and this chapter is rather short, but since it's the last two weeks of school, I don't have a lot of time to write. I hope you understand :s**

**Oh, and thanks to everyone who added this story to their favorites and alerts!**

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Daries.. It owns me!_

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><p><strong>Anna POV<strong>

Anna knew something was very, very wrong.

It was early in the morning and she was heading towards Jeremy's house. She was walking extra slow, because she wanted to postpone arriving there. She did want to see Jeremy, of course, but not the way he was right now.

It all started five days ago. Elena hadn't come home. Nobody had been concerned, she was probably staying at a friend's house and forgot to mention it. But the next day, she hadn't come home either. After calling everyone and getting no new information, Jenna called the sheriff. Elena was seventeen, and anywhere else, people would've thought she ran away. They would've told Jenna not to worry. But not in Mystic Falls. Sheriff Forbes knew the Gilberts well enough to know that Elena wasn't of the runaway kind, and she organized search parties the next day. Jenna and Jeremy had been told to wait, there wasn't anything they could do.

And that was why Anna hated arriving at the Gilbert house. Jenna opened the door but barely spoke to her, she looked tired and her eyes were red.

"They will find her, Jenna." Anna said, trying to smile encouragingly.

Jenna nodded, but then left her alone in the hallway.

Anna's stomach twisted, and she hoped that what she'd guessed wasn't true.

She climbed the stairs and softly knocked on Jeremy's door. It was left slightly open, and she could see him sit on the edge of his bed, head down. He was sitting with his back to the door, but didn't turn around to see who it was.

"Yeah?"

She entered the room and went to sit behind him on the bed. She wrapped her arms around and him and rested her chin on his shoulder.

"Hi." he whispered, placing his hand over hers.

"Do you want to be alone?" She asked softly. She didn't know how to be around him. She wanted to cheer him up, but that wasn't what he needed. And there was something she needed to tell him, but she didn't really want to.

"No, I'm glad you came." he answered, turning around. He pulled her close, and sighed.

"Jer?" She asked, her face pressed against his chest. "Do you remember when I told you about smelling Elena in my mom's car?"

"Yeah?"

"I think it really was her. And that was around the time when she… It was the same day."

Jeremy leaned back to look at her. "Caroline told me Elena left around noon, and no one saw her after that. You think she was in your mom's car after she left Caroline?"

Anna nodded.

"So, your mom gave her a ride! If she tells the sheriff where she dropped Elena off, the search parties would know where to look for her!"

Jeremy didn't get it. Anna's stomach hurt, her lungs ached as if something was wrapped tightly around her chest, and she buried her face in the fabric of his shirt.

"I don't think my mom gave Elena a ride." she said. She didn't look up to see his face.

Jeremy didn't speak for a long time, finally he said: "Then what do you think she did, Anna?" There was an edge to his voice, something she didn't like. His arms seemed to loosen around her body.

Anna shook her head and leaned back to look at him. "I don't know! Jeremy, I swear I don't know!"

He looked away and then closed his eyes. "I thought you and your mom didn't hurt anyone?"

"We don't! I mean, _I_ don't! And I thought she didn't, either! Jeremy, I _promise_ you, I don't know what's going on." This was exactly why she hadn't wanted to tell him. He was looking at her, his eyes hard. She tried not to cry.

Then his eyes softened and he held her close. "Of course you don't. I'm sorry."

Her body flooded with relief and she could breath again.

"Don't cry, Anna. I shouldn't have reacted like that, I trust you." He kissed her hair.

She hadn't even noticed that she was crying, but she saw the tears on Jeremy's shirt and quickly wiped them of her cheeks.

"No, I understand. You're having a hard time, I get that." She leaned against him again, liking the way his arms fit around her. Being rather small had always bothered her a bit, others of her kind often underestimated her strength. They thought of her as weak, and she always surprised them when she attacked. But when she was with Jeremy, she liked it when he held her as if she was fragile, as if he would protect her. Of course he knew that wasn't exactly the case, but she guessed that he often forgot about that. She kicked her shoes off and curled up into a ball in the circle of his arms.

"Maybe my mom did give her a ride." She said softly.

"You don't really believe that." Jeremy said, and Anna knew that he didn't either.

She shrugged. "I don't know. She's been acting weird lately. She makes sure she answers the phone and opens the mail first. There is something I'm not supposed to know. And I found this hidden away in the glove compartment of our car." She fished a small, black cell phone out of her pocket.

"That's Elena's." Jeremy said, almost chocking on his words.

"I thought so. I don't like being kept in the dark, so I searched the car. If my mom did give Elena a ride, and she left it by accident, why would my mom hide it away in a corner?"

Jeremy just shook his head.

"We'll get your sister back, Jer, I promise."

She saw him shift underneath her and pull the edge of his shirt down, showing her that she could take his blood if she wanted.

She shook her head. "You're not looking very good as it is, you need sleep, I'm not making you any weaker."

"I'm already freaking out over Elena, and I want to be sure you're alright. It's been five days."

Anna did need to feed soon, and she could use a blood bag, but she couldn't say no to Jeremy. Not now. She nodded and placed one hand in his neck, he leaned back his head and she kissed his skin before piercing it with her teeth. The small jerk his body made every time was almost enough for her to stop, but she knew that he didn't mind the pain. When stroked her hair and leaned back to lay down on the bed, her lips still pressed to his neck, she knew that she would do _anything_ to get him his sister back.

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><p><strong>Elena POV<strong>

Stefan was leaving. He was _finally_ leaving. Elena knew she shouldn't think that, Stefan had been extremely nice to her, always making sure she was okay, never scaring her. And part of her liked that, it made her feel comfortable. But another part of her just hated it. It infuriated her, because no matter how nice he was, she could see in his face that he wasn't really thinking about her. His eyes always had some sort of faraway look, as if he were already focusing on the future. She knew that everything he did, was to get Katherine back. And she couldn't blame him for it. But that meant that his friendliness wasn't real, it was a way of getting what he wanted. Though she did think it was also in his nature to be comforting. And she couldn't believe that sometimes she _forgot _that she was their prisoner. Treating her nicely was cruel, if they were waiting for her to be killed.

That was why she liked Damon better. Just because she knew that whatever he did, it was spontaneous. He wasn't thinking about Katherine _every_ second. He winked at her, he teased and scared her, he sometimes even tickled her when he passed her, and it was only for his own entertainment. No ulterior motives. She didn't entirely trust him, but was that even possible in her situation? No girl would trust her captors. But as long as she wasn't getting away from them, she might as well try to enjoy herself.

It was her sixth day in the Salvatore house, she and Damon were standing at the big front door, watching Stefan leave. Stefan seemed to have his doubts. Elena saw him look at her and Damon as if they were little children, trying to decide whether they were responsible enough to be left alone. Damon held the open door, slowly pushing it closed, forcing Stefan to leave. Stefan kept telling Damon to stay away from Elena, to be careful, not to do anything stupid and to call him when there was a problem.

Damon groaned. "I _got_ it! Now, shoo!"

Elena giggled softly. She was surprised, she didn't giggle, normally.

When they heard Stefan's car drive away, Damon mouthed '_finally'_ at her, and she nodded, still grinning.

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><p><strong>Damon POV<strong>

From the moment Stefan stepped outside, Elena seemed to become a completely other person. Her heartbeat quickened, her face was flushed and her eyes were so _alive_. That was normal, he supposed, her protector was gone, he could do to her what he wanted. But it wasn't fear which made her be like this. He remembered seeing that spark in her eyes when he teased her, when the subtle tension between them seemed to be a hum in the air. He began to get it, to get _her_. She was a good girl, calm and responsible, but only because she had to. People expected that form her. He couldn't wait to see who she really was.

"Are you ready?" He asked.

"Ready for what?" She frowned, a glint of fear in her eyes.

He knew she didn't trust him, she was scared, but it was obvious that she liked it. She liked it when he made her heart beat faster, when she felt as if she should flee. And he liked that side of her. He stood behind her and combed his fingers through her hair.

"To have fun." He said. "To be yourself."

"Sure," obviously trying to sound nonchalant, but not succeeding. She dropped the act and turned around, her eyes excited. "What do you want to do?"

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><p><strong>AN: Well, I hope you liked it :) What was good? What could be better? What do <em>you<em> want Elena and Damon to do when they _'have fun'_? Any ideas?**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I'm so sorry for the long wait! I'm writing two stories now, this one and Unravelling, so I'm updating a bit slower. I'm leaving for France next week, and I'll try to update again before I leave. I promised more Delena goodness, and I think I kept my promise :) This one's all Delena. Hope you like it!**

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries, those brilliant CW writers do._

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><p><strong>Last chapter:<strong>

_"Are you ready?" He asked._

_"Ready for what?" She frowned, a glint of fear in her eyes._

_He knew she didn't trust him, she was scared, but it was obvious that she liked it. She liked it when he made her heart beat faster, when she felt as if she should flee. And he liked that side of her. He stood behind her and combed his fingers through her hair._

_"To have fun." He said. "To be yourself."_

_"Sure," obviously trying to sound nonchalant, but not succeeding. She dropped the act and turned around, her eyes excited. "What do you want to do?"_

* * *

><p><strong>Elena POV<strong>

"I can think of a few things." He said, his eyes sparkling dangerously.

Elena smiled back shyly. She didn't know whether she was going to like those things or not.

"Aren't you sick of doing nothing?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. He closed in on her, until he was standing so close they were almost touching. He raised his hand and his fingers stroked her cheek. His fingertips lingered on her lips, making them tingle. When he leaned in, she backed away.

"I'm not kissing you." Her voice wasn't as steady as she wanted it to be.

She longed for his kiss, but she wouldn't think about that. She wasn't kissing the man who'd captured her. The man who didn't mind her being killed. Besides, she would never kiss someone she didn't love, and she knew for certain that this wasn't love. This was desire. She just wanted to know what it felt like, having him hold her tight, having him kiss her. She loved the way her heart raced when he smiled dangerously at her, the way her mind yelled 'danger!'.

"Why not?" He asked, interrupting her thoughts. "Don't you _want_ to kiss me?"

Elena wanted to say she didn't, but she knew her voice would betray her. He already knew she wanted it, anyway.

"That's not the point." She said, turning away and heading for the kitchen.

She opened the fridge, wincing when she saw the blood bags that were kept there. "I'm starving." she mumbled.

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><p><strong>Damon POV<strong>

Damon wanted to kiss her. He didn't know why, and he didn't care why. He just wanted it. Her lips were so perfect, they distracted him every time he looked at her. He was sure that if he could just feel them on his, even once, he would be able to think straight again. This was all Stefan's fault. If it weren't for Stefan, he would've kissed her the first day she got here, whether she wanted it or not. He would've tasted her, too.

Now he'd had to watch her for five days, and it had driven him crazy. Because he knew she wanted it, too. He'd seen her glance at him when she thought he wasn't looking. When they talked, her gaze kept sliding down to his mouth.

When Stefan had left, Damon hadn't even thought about her refusing to kiss him. Her reaction had surprised him. If she so clearly wanted him, too, why would she say no? It seemed to him that she did that a lot, not doing something even though she wanted to. He just wished there was a way he could make her stop thinking so much, she should just do what she wanted. Then he wanted to hit himself for being so incredibly stupid. Why didn't he just compel her? He did want the kiss to be real, he didn't want to compel her to kiss him. He would just make her see what she truly wanted. He smiled.

He had to be sure the vervain was out of her system though. He watched her open the fridge and heard her murmur about being starved. He walked over to where she was standing and turned her around. He looked into her eyes, watching her pupils dilate.

"You're not hungry." He said slowly.

"I'm not hungry." She repeated, closing the fridge.

Damon grinned. He didn't look away from her eyes and thought about what he would say. He would let her keep her free will.

"Do what you want, stop thinking everything through, loosen up." That would have to do. He released her from his gaze and stepped back. She was a bit dazed at first, which was normal after compulsion, but then her eyes focused on him.

* * *

><p><strong>Elena POV<strong>

Elena felt like she'd blacked out for a few seconds. She shook her head a little and took a deep breath. She suddenly felt the need to be less serious. She didn't know why she was holding back all the time, these were probably the last days of her life. She should be herself. That reminded her of what Damon had said before.

She frowned. "What did you mean when you said I could be myself?"

"Exactly what I said." He said, looking strangely smug.

"I _am_ myself." her hands gesturing to herself.

"No you're not. You, my dear Elena, are lying to yourself." He said, slowly circling her.

"I am not. I'm just a normal teenage girl." She said, and she wondered why that sounded like a lie.

He laughed. "You are not _normal_. You are the exact opposite."

"You can't know that. You've only known me for five days." Elena said.

"I'm quite certain I'm right. But we can do a little experiment if you want." He said. It sounded like a dare.

"An experiment?"

"Yes. To prove that you're not normal."

Elena already knew that he would turn out to be right. If she were normal, she'd have locked herself up in a room from the moment Stefan left the house. But instead she was hoping that this 'experiment' involved being close to Damon.

"Show me." She said, moving to stand in front of him. When he smirked and placed his hands on her shoulders, a glint in his eyes told her everything she needed to know. This could go either way: she would really like what he was going to do, or she would hate it. This had nothing to do with proving something, he just wanted to play. Something inside her told her she should be careful, who knew what he might do? But she _wanted_ him to make her heart race, one way or another, so she crushed her doubts and instead thought about the way his touch made a warmth spread through her body.

He moved his hand to the back of her head, gripping her neck. His grip was tight and turning away was impossible, but she wanted to know what he would do next. She was breathing fast, her chest almost touching his every time it rose. His arm encircled her waist, making her shiver. It tightened around her, pulling her close. He could do whatever he wanted now. Kill her, kiss her, or bite her like he'd tried once. She couldn't do anything but look into his eyes and wait for him to do something.

Was it wrong for her to want this? Should she be thinking of her family? Should she be mad at him for keeping her here? If so, she didn't care. Because she did want this, she wanted him to kiss her, to pull her closer.

She was confused by her own thoughts. She was scared of him, even now. His hold on her body made part of her scream in terror. She felt as if her heart was trying to break free, it couldn't bear the fear and the excitement. The longer they stood there, the more she wished for him to do _something_. If not, she was sure something inside her was going to explode.

He leaned in and his lips brushed hers as he spoke. "I can make you feel like this without even doing anything."

Her breathing hitched. She wanted him to come closer, to cross that incredibly small distance between their lips.

He did.

She couldn't describe this. His mouth crushed down on hers, and it was as if a switch had been turned. Her eyes closed and her mind refused to think about anything other than Damon. He moved from her lips to her throat, just long enough for her to catch her breath. Then he moved back. Her body was on fire, her hands itching to move up to his neck, his hair. She trembled in his arms when she felt his teeth graze her lip. His arms tightened around her, until every inch of her body was touching his. She didn't care about his tight hold on her neck, she wanted him to pull her even closer. Her legs didn't support her anymore, she'd gone limp in his arms, fully concentrating on the feeling of his lips on hers.

Then, when she wished it would never stop, he pulled back, but only slightly. When she looked at him, his face had changed, he looked exactly like he had that one night, when he'd tried to hurt her. She knew what this meant, and her voice got stuck in her throat. She tried to tell him to stop, to push him away, but she couldn't make a sound and her body refused to move. She knew why she couldn't move: it wasn't the terror, it was the part of her that felt so very _alive_ when he did this, that made her want to hold on to the moment just a bit longer.

She tensed as he leaned in, this time aiming for her neck. She felt two sharp points against her skin and his breath made a shiver run down her spine. He wasn't biting down. He was pressing his canines just hard enough against her neck to make it sting, without breaking the skin. He moved his lips to her ear.

"Are you scared?" He asked.

"Yes." she answered, sounding out of breath.

"Do you want to run?"

She hesitated. Why was he asking this? The _normal_ answer would be yes, anyone would want escape from his hold and run away from him as far as possible. And part of her did too. But if she was being honest, what she truly wanted was for him to keep holding her like this.

"No."

He laughed, his breath tickling her ear. "What did you like most, the kiss or the fear?"

She laughed, too. A high, uneven laugh. "It's a tie."

"Well, there you have your proof." He said, releasing his hold on her.

After being so tightly supported, the sudden freedom surprised her. Her muscles had turned into jelly when he'd kissed her, and the effect seemed to last a while.

He caught her when she fell, and gently laid her down on the nearest couch. He smirked, knowing that his kiss had caused this, and she blushed.

* * *

><p><strong>Damon POV<strong>

Damon's mind was a mess. He saw Elena try to catch her breath on the couch, and couldn't shake off the electric feeling inside his body. In her neck, he could see faint red lines from where he'd traced her skin with his teeth. He was mad at himself. He could've bitten her, he could've have tasted her blood, why hadn't he? He was starting to regret compelling her.

When he told her she should do whatever she wanted, he changed the way she would naturally behave. He'd realised that when he'd extended his canines. He knew that some _part_ of her wanted to be bitten, but if he hadn't compelled her, wouldn't she have pushed him away? He thought so, but he couldn't be sure. He was thinking about this way too much, she was more fun like this, and he should just enjoy it. But when he looked at her, her cheeks flushed and her heart still beating fast, something gnawed at him.

* * *

><p><strong>Elena POV<strong>

After trying to slow down her heart, Elena had fallen asleep on the couch. When she woke up, the house was eerily dark and quiet. The sun had gone down and she couldn't see a thing. She felt around for a bit, until she made her way to the hall. She walked next to the wall, her hand touching the side so she could count the doors. Third door on the right, this was her room. She opened the door but didn't bother turning on the light. It would hurt her eyes and she just wanted to go back to sleep. She found the way to her bed easily, though she did trip over a few things she didn't remember leaving on the ground. She should clean up in the morning.

Her fingers touched the silken sheets and she curled up underneath them. When she reached out to take the second pillow, she screamed without making a sound. Her hand touched skin. She yanked it back, trembling. She knew it had to be Damon, but feeling someone in her bed had startled her. She pushed herself up and reached for the nightlight. A soft glow lit up the bed and made it possible for her to see him. He was asleep, but she wouldn't let him stay here.

"_Damon_." She whispered as loudly as she could. She didn't want to startle him awake.

No reaction.

She reached out and patted his shoulder. "Wake _up_!"

He started to move, his eyes opened slightly, but then he closed them again. "Hmm. Elena, what a nice surprise."

"Get out of my bed!" she hissed, pushing him.

He laughed, his eyes stayed closed. "This is _my_ bed, Elena. But if you want to move in, I'm not stopping you."

She gasped, looking around the room. It looked like her room, but there were definitely some differences. "But this is the third room on the right!"

"No, this is the third room on the left." He said, amused.

Elena wanted to hit herself. Seen from the front of the house, her room was on the right. She'd been in the back.

She looked at Damon. He was lying on his stomach, his head resting on his arms. What would it be like to lie next to him, his arms around her? She couldn't help but wonder.

He opened one eye, catching her staring at him. "Do you want to sleep here?" he asked.

Elena felt torn. She didn't really want to be here, but she didn't seem to have a choice. Just like she hadn't planned on letting herself kiss him. She'd given in to the part that wanted him close, and right now, that part made it hard for her to leave.

"There's something wrong with me." She said, more to herself than to Damon. "I can't think straight anymore, it's like my body takes over my mind."

Damon lifted his head, looking alarmed. "What do you mean?"

Elena frowned. She didn't know how to explain what she felt, when she tried to put it into words, it didn't sound wrong or strange. "It's like, when part of me wants something, I can't say no, I just go with it." she sighed. "I'm sorry, I should just go to sleep. I'm probably tired." She pushed herself away from the bed, but his hand encircled her wrist.

"Wait. I think I did something I probably shouldn't have done."

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><p><strong>AN: I hope you enjoyed this chapter :) Do you think Damon's intentions were wrong? Was he wrong in compelling her, even though he wanted her to keep her free will? Did I get the ElenaDamon interactions right?**

**thank you so much for reading! reviews are appreciated :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Hi everyone! I'm so sorry for the long wait, but I'm back from France and I have plenty of time to write now :). I hope you like this chapter, it's not really what I planned when I started writing it, but it just turned out like this.. So enjoy!**

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><p>"<em>It's like, when part of me wants something, I can't say no, I just go with it." she sighed. "I'm sorry, I should just go to sleep. I'm probably tired." She pushed herself away from the bed, but his hand encircled her wrist.<em>

"_Wait. I think I did something I probably shouldn't have done." _

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><p><strong>Elena POV<strong>

Elena frowned at him. "What are you talking about?"

He sighed and pulled her back on the bed. "Did Stefan tell you about compulsion?"

"Yes." She said suspiciously, her eyes narrowing.

"Well… I might have sort of used it." He said, sitting up straighter.

"On _me_?" She asked, pointing to herself, her eyes becoming big. Elena was starting to freak out. What had he done? Did he erase her memory? Were there things he'd done she didn't know about? She yanked her wrist away from him and backed away to the edge of the bed.

"Calm down! It's not _that_ bad." He rolled his eyes.

She realized she'd begun to hyperventilate. She forced herself to lie down and breath slowly. "What did you do?" She asked.

He sighed. "I thought you were holding back too much, I told you to loosen up and do whatever you wanted."

"Well, that's just great! You must've done something wrong though, because I kissed you. And the sane part of me definitely didn't want that!" She glared at him. "Is the compulsion still in place?" She added.

"I suppose so. You had a hard time leaving this bed, didn't you? You want to stay." He shrugged.

She hit his shoulder with her fist. "Then remove it!"

"You sure?" He asked. When he saw her glare, he placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her so that she was looking right at him.

She saw his pupils contract and she felt a bit light-headed, but nothing else happened. "That's it?" she asked incredulously.

"I wasn't compelling you, I was just releasing you. I don't really need to tell you something if I have the idea clear in my mind. So yes, that's it."

Elena didn't really understand his explanation, but she knew he was telling the truth because the impulsive feeling she'd had was gone. She continued to glare at him.

"What is it?" He said. He leaned back against the headboard and closed his eyes. For some reason, this made her even angrier.

"Don't act as if everything's okay now! I can't believe you made me kiss you!"

He made a disapproving noise. "I didn't make you do anything."

"You know what I mean!" She snapped, slapping his bare chest. He didn't even seem to notice how angry she was, which frustrated her to no end. "I think you should let me punish you."

He snorted. "Go ahead."

"Fine. I'll be able to compel you for a day." She said, crossing her arms in front of her. "Starting now, up until tomorrow night." She didn't know why, but something inside her told her that this would be fun.

Damon frowned but shrugged. "Whatever you want. I'm going to sleep now."

"No you're not. You're going to massage me." She said smugly.

He opened one eye.

She crossed the bed and leaned over him, placing her hands on either side of his head. Her hair fell down next to her face, the ends stroking his cheeks. She looked into his eyes, a smile on her face. "Massage my back, until I tell you to stop."

He sighed, rolling his eyes.

Elena straightened the blankets on her side of the bed and turned her back to him. She pulled out her shirt and her bra and then turned to lie down on her stomach. She knew Damon was staring at her, and she smiled. "I'm waiting."

Elena wasn't blind. Damon might be a vampire, the way he'd looked at her over the past few days wasn't any different from the way guys looked at her in school. She would drive him crazy.

After a few seconds, Elena felt his hands touch her back. She had to admit, this had more to do with her having fun than with punishing Damon. He probably didn't mind, and the way he stroked her back felt like heaven. He changed between stroking her skin gently and pressing quite hard, and he seemed to really do his best. She started to fall asleep, the touch of his hands comforting her. He could stop anytime he wanted, of course, but she was going to enjoy it as long as it lasted.

* * *

><p><strong>Damon POV<strong>

Damon watched her lay down on her stomach, her back slightly arched because of the high pillow she'd taken.

"I'm waiting." She warned without looking at him.

He grinned, she knew exactly what she was doing to him. Well, as long as she used her ability to compel him this way, he didn't mind. He sat up and placed his hands on her back. Her skin felt smooth and cool underneath them and he saw a shiver run down her spine when she felt his warmth. He started off with gentle strokes that began at the nape of her neck and ended just above the edge of her jeans. When her skin was warmer, he pressed down next to her spine with his fingertips. She sighed and he could feel her muscles relax under his touch.

He could hear her breathing slow down after a few minutes, and he knew she was falling asleep. He didn't stop, though, he would do as she said. He liked this little game of hers. When he thought she was asleep already, she mumbled something.

He leaned in closer, trying to understand her. "What was that?"

"You can stop." she muttered. "thanks." she added.

He watched her then, waiting for her to get up. Surely she wouldn't stay in his bed, if she was conscious enough to talk. But she didn't move.

He frowned. He didn't mind her being here. At all. But this probably wasn't what she'd planned. He must be really good at giving massages.

Even though this technically wasn't his fault, she would be furious at him if she woke up like this, topless, in _his_ bed. And he realized that her being mad at him bothered him, why was that? She would be gone soon. Literally and figuratively. Thinking that made him feel weird, it left a strange stinging sensation in his chest and he pushed it out of his mind.

So what should he do now? Pick her up and carry her to her own bedroom? He didn't even want to think about her waking up then. Of course he could move to another room himself, there were dozens of beds around, but where would be the fun in that? He didn't want to face her rage, but he wouldn't act as boring as his brother either. So he pulled a sheet of the bed and draped it over her sleeping body. He tucked the edges underneath her waist and shoulders and then lay down on his own side of the bed. He crossed his arms over his chest and entertained himself with imagining her reaction in the morning.

* * *

><p><strong>Elena POV<strong>

Elena woke up thinking it had been long since she'd slept so good. She didn't open her eyes but enjoyed the cosy feeling of the silky sheets wrapped around her body. She might not like being held in the Salvatore mansion, at least they had amazing bedding. The air around her was chilly, which was usually the case in the big house with its high ceilings, and she could feel goose bumps on her arms. Then she felt something else. Her hand was resting on something. Something warm.

She slightly opened one eye and shut it again immediately. She remembered getting Damon to massage her back and… nothing after that. She'd fallen asleep? How did that happen? If she remembered right, her back had been bare. She cursed inwardly. If Damon had been awake, he would've noticed that she had woken up. So she opened both eyes this time, and tried to determine whether she should be furious at him or only slightly angry.

A sheet was wrapped around her body, so at least there was that. Her hand was resting on Damon's stomach, rising as he breathed in deeply. She must've moved closer to him during the night, since she was laying mostly on his half of the mattress, only her feet were still on her own half. His arms were crossed over his chest, and she was almost certain he'd fallen asleep like this, to show her that it was all _her_ doing and he'd done nothing wrong. Well, he could've just woken her up before he went to sleep, so she was irritated, but only slightly.

She didn't move for a while, she just enjoyed the feeling of her hand on his skin. She could almost pretend she'd just woken up next to her boyfriend. He would wake up and smile at her, they would lie in each other's arms and then they'd prepare breakfast together. Her own thoughts shocked her, but she realized that the idea appealed to her. She kept telling herself that it wasn't normal for her to like Damon, he was the one who'd captured her, he practically wanted her dead. That last thought made her feel sick, but it was true. But what if despite of those things, she still liked him? What if it was even more than that?

She needed to think about this.

* * *

><p><strong>Damon POV<strong>

When Damon woke up, he immediately opened his eyes to look for Elena. He'd woken up once that night, she'd moved to his side and her hand had been resting on his stomach. He'd smiled and fallen asleep again, but now he wanted to make her blush by talking about it.

He already had a grin on his face when he turned to her, but the sight of her surprised him and he turned serious. She was sitting against the headboard, her knees pulled up against her chest. She'd left the room already, because she was wearing a shirt with long sleeves and soft, comfy pants instead of jeans. Something was wrong. He didn't think this was about waking up next to him, she would look angry, not like this.

"Elena?"

She didn't answer, but her gaze lifted to his face.

"If this is about last night, I didn't do anything, honestly."

"I know." She said softly. "It's not something you did. It's me."

He didn't understand that, so he asked her about something else. "Why did you come back? To watch me sleep? That's pretty creepy." He tried to lighten the mood, but it didn't help.

"I needed to figure something out." She said.

"And did you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Why was she being so cryptic?

"I think so." She looked at her hands. She was fumbling with the edge of her shirt.

Damon wasn't good at this kind of thing. He stood up and put on a shirt, then sat down on the edge of her side of the bed. "Are you going to tell me what this is all about? Or do I have to guess?"

She sighed. "I woke up a few hours ago, so I've been thinking about this for a long time, and I think we should stop doing this _thing_ we do."

"This thing we do?" Damon asked.

"You know what I'm talking about. The playing, the almost kissing, just the _tension_. It should stop."

Damon frowned.

"For some stupid reason, this whole thing is starting to mean more to me. I never wanted that, I never even wanted to like you, with me being kidnapped and all. But somehow I do. I like you a lot, which is incredibly stupid, I know that."

Damon was listening to her, trying to keep his jaw from dropping. He'd known this, kind of, he'd noticed the way she reacted to his touch, but this conversation stunned him.

"Because you're just waiting for me to be killed." She continued.

Damon wanted to interrupt, but he didn't know what to say, and she was already moving on.

"And I don't think I'll be able to _handle_ that, Damon. Even if these are the last days of my life, who knows when Stefan will be back, I won't be able to be close to you without thinking that you're waiting for that _Katherine_." She made the name sound like a curse. "I'm just here to entertain you until you have her back, and I don't want that. I don't want to be played with if it means nothing to you. So maybe we should just act the way it is. You're the dangerous vampire who can't wait for me to be dead, I'm the one who's captured." She looked at him questioningly, as if she wasn't sure she'd made herself clear.

Damon didn't answer, he had no idea what to say. Then he looked down and nodded. "If you think that's best." He said.

"I do." Elena's voice broke at the end. She hesitated, but then pushed herself away from the bed and left the room quietly.

Damon watched her go, feeling worse than ever.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Don't worry, the "sad" part won't last long ;). It might seem like they're falling in love quite fast <strong>(that's what it seemed like to me)**, but I think it would get a bit boring otherwise, and come on: it's Damon and Elena. This is a slow pace for those two!**

**Anyway, I hope you liked it! Please leave a comment to let me know your opinion, what you think will happen next or if there's something that could be better.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: I was amazed by how many of you read chapter 6, thank you so much! The lyrics at the beginning of this chapter are from the song '4 real' By Avril Lavigne. I had it stuck in my head and it describes the way Elena feels at this point in the story, so I thought I'd share it with you :). Thanks for reading, I hope you like it!**

* * *

><p>If I show you<br>Get to know you  
>If I hold you just for today<br>I'm not gonna wanna let go  
>I'm not gonna wanna go home<br>Tell me you feel the same

'Cause I'm for real  
>Are you for real?<br>I can't help myself  
>It's the way I feel<p>

* * *

><p>"<em>I don't want to be played with if it means nothing to you. So maybe we should just act the way it is. You're the dangerous vampire who can't wait for me to be dead, I'm the one who's captured." She looked at him questioningly, as if she wasn't sure she'd made herself clear.<em>

_Damon didn't answer, he had no idea what to say. Then he looked down and nodded. "If you think that's best." He said._

"_I do." Elena's voice broke at the end. She hesitated, but then pushed herself away from the bed and left the room quietly._

_Damon watched her go, feeling worse than ever. _

* * *

><p><strong>Damon POV<strong>

During the next few days, the mood in the Salvatore mansion went from bad to worse. Elena stayed in her room most of the time, and Damon only saw her when she came out to eat in the kitchen. He hadn't realized how much had changed since they'd brought her here, and he was incredibly bored without her company. Sometimes she didn't come out to eat, and he always hoped that would be the case, because it meant he had to bring the food to her room. Electricity seemed to buzz between them during those moments, as if the slightest movement could cause a spark, but she never even looked him in the eyes. If this would last much longer, he would go crazy, he was sure of it.

Once, he'd stroked her cheek when he brought her a bowl of cereal, and she'd cringed away from his touch.

"Don't." She'd said, her voice broken. "I can't bear it." She'd accepted the bowl and closed her door, leaving Damon stunned, his hand still raised.

* * *

><p><strong>Elena POV<strong>

Elena felt awful, and she couldn't even leave her room because the sight of Damon made her feel even worse. Every time she saw him, she wanted him to hold her, to kiss her. She wanted to be what _he_ wanted, and knowing that she wasn't felt like the cut of a knife

Her conflicting emotions tore her up inside. She was furious at a girl she'd never even met. If she could somehow get her hands on that Katherine, she would scratch that witch's face off.

She was in love, and she'd never felt worse.

There was nothing to do but think, and she couldn't think about anything other than Damon. She was losing sleep, too, because she stayed awake as long as she could. If she slept, she would dream, and for the first time ever, she wanted to have nightmares. The dreams were wonderful, amazing, as long as she didn't wake up. Because then she realized that nothing of it had been real. Damon wasn't laying beside her, he wasn't stroking her hair or holding her tight.

She knew he could hear her cry, even when she hid under her blankets, so she took long, hot showers to cover the sound. She'd never felt like this before, and she knew that being kept away from home and waiting for her killer to come were a big part of it, but still: what hurt her most was her longing for Damon.

* * *

><p><strong>Damon POV<strong>

Since he didn't have Elena to distract him, Damon did a lot of thinking. She'd been wrong about a lot of things when she last talked to him.

For one, he didn't want her killed. At all. In fact, at this moment he would probably do anything to prevent that from happening. Which was a little twisted considering the situation they were in. Damon hoped Stefan wouldn't find Klaus for a long time.

Secondly, she wasn't a toy he would discard when he had Katherine back. If there was one person he wanted to hold right now, it was Elena. He missed her playfulness and her casual touches, and it had been a long time since he'd thought about Katherine in that way.

He'd realized it wasn't Katherine he'd been obsessed with all those years. It had been the hunt, the search for the doppelganger, the idea of finding the key to Katherine's freedom. He was surprised to find that he'd just followed Stefan. Stefan was still unbelievably in love with her, so Damon assumed he felt the same. _But he didn't._

The tension in his chest had lessened when he'd first realized that. It wasn't wrong to care for Elena, he wasn't replacing Katherine, he was just starting anew. He'd gotten over Katherine a long time ago, but he'd never wanted to admit that to himself.

After a week of becoming more and more sure of his feelings, Damon decided something needed to change. He'd heard Elena cry in her room, the sound muffled by the mattress or a pillow, and she hadn't left her room anymore. Of course it was possible that she missed her family, that she was scared of what would happen to her, but Damon couldn't shake off the feeling that this was all about him.

Sometimes, she would mutter his name in her sleep, and he stayed up during the night just to hear that. When he had to tell or bring her something, she would stand in the doorframe and instead of avoiding his gaze, she would stare back at him, her eyes filled with longing and sadness.

Damon couldn't let this go on. He didn't care about Katherine, she'd probably choose his brother anyway, and Stefan could have her. He was used to getting what he wanted and thinking about no one but himself, and that was exactly what was going to do. Aside from thinking about Elena, that is.

So after ten days of being utterly bored and empty, he knocked on Elena's door, resolve clear in his eyes.

She looked at him questioningly. Her hair was damp from taking a shower, but on her eyelashes shimmered tears.

He didn't say anything, he just wrapped his arms around her and leaned down to kiss her. The feeling of her lips against his was like being able to breath after being under water for too long, and this was proof of what he already knew: he _needed_ her.

Elena pushed him away weakly, but stopped when he didn't let her go. He could feel her hesitation, and pulled her even closer.

She placed her hands on his cheeks and looked up at him seriously. "Is this… Is this real?" She asked, her voice shaking and new tears threatening to fall.

The look in his eyes must've told her everything she needed to know, because she sighed happily and pulled his face down so she could kiss him back.

* * *

><p><strong>Jeremy POV<strong>

Jeremy was lying on his bed, headphones on, when he saw something move on his right. When he looked up lazily, he saw Anna leaning against his closet.

"You do know we have a front door, right?" He smiled.

She grinned and was lying next to him in a flash. "Hi." She said, giving him a quick kiss.

"You seem happy." Jeremy sat up a bit straighter and turned off his music. He knew Anna could hear the hope in his voice and he looked away. She had been looking for information about Elena over the past few days, and it was all he could think about when he saw her.

"Hey," she said softly, gently lifting his head, "I know she's your top priority now, you don't need to feel guilty for thinking about her."

He smiled sadly.

"I've got good news." She said, moving to sit on her knees in front of him. "I know where Elena is."

Jeremy's eyes grew big. "Are you sure?"

She nodded excitedly. "I heard someone talk about the Salvatores, they're brothers who were changed in 1864, they've been close to this town recently."

"You think they took her?" He asked.

"I'm sure. My mom normally doesn't do anyone a favour, but she owes them. It's too much of a coincidence, and I bet she knew I would realize that if she told me about them being here."

"But why? What do they want her for?" His hands became fists and his voice was strained.

"I think I know, and if I'm right, they won't kill her." She said, knowing that this wasn't very assuring.

"But they could hurt her." Jeremy didn't even want to think about that.

Anna bit her lip. "I know them. Stefan won't touch her, but Damon is unpredictable."

"We need to get to her." Jeremy said. He stood up, wanting to do _something_.

Anna put a calming hand on his shoulder, but nodded. "Do you think your aunt will let you leave?"

"How far is it?" Jeremy asked. He could always pretend to be at a friend's house, but Jenna had become a little bit paranoid.

"We'll have to drive for about ten hours, which means we'll be there after dark."

"Give me a few minutes and I'll be ready." Jeremy said.

* * *

><p><strong>Elena POV<strong>

Elena and Damon ended up on the couch in the big living room. There wasn't much room, so Elena was lying on top of him, her head resting on his chest. Damon combed his fingers through her hair with his eyes closed.

They hadn't talked much, just half sentences between kisses, but she could feel that Damon was going to say something. She lifted her head to look at him and caught him staring at her.

"You were wrong before." He said.

"About what?"

"I don't want you to be killed. I don't want Katherine back." He said vehemently.

"I know that now." She smiled. "But you weren't sure of it, I bet you never thought about it before." She moved her hand to his face, her thumb stroking his cheek.

"True. I never reconsidered my love for Katherine."

"Let's not talk about her anymore." Elena groaned.

"Okay. And you probably don't want to talk about this either, but I just need you to know that I won't let Klaus get to you."

"How are we going to do that? From what I've heard you and Stefan say, we don't stand a chance."

"We'll see. We'll find a way." Damon said.

He couldn't really convince her, but she decided to let it go for now. She just wanted to enjoy having his arms around her. He slid his hands under her shirt and held her waist, then he pulled her up so he could reach her lips. She let him move her and kiss her, her own muscles seemed to have become jelly and whatever he did was fine by her.

Damon was kissing her neck and shoulder when he suddenly froze.

Elena opened her eyes in confusion. "What-" She started to ask, but suddenly the room was spinning around her and she was lying on her back on the couch. Damon's body hovered above her and his hand clamped down op her mouth. Elena's eyes grew wide.

"I heard someone." Damon hissed. "Don't talk."

Elena felt him wrap his arms around her and saw the room blur again. In a matter of seconds, her back was placed against the wall of the study behind the living room. She heard Damon close the door and lock it. She tried to understand what was happening and pressed her ear against the wood.

She could faintly hear Damon growl, she heard some stumbling and then a voice she recognized. "I can't say you're making me feel welcome, Damon. What would Stefan think of that?"

"Anna." Damon said coldly.

Elena didn't know what was going on, or on whose side Anna stood, but she knew Damon wouldn't let anything happen to her.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I realize that this isn't much of an ending, but I didn't know where else to stop this chapter. The next one is almost ready, so it'll be up very soon :). For those of you who think Damon is becoming too soft, I tried to change that a bit in the next chapter, but he's just letting his guard down when he's with Elena. Please tell me whether you liked it, or if anything could be better. I got over thousand hits last time, and only two reviews; I'm starting to think most of you hated it :s<strong>

**anyway, thank you all SO MUCH for reading! I hope you're still enjoying the story :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Thank you for the alerts, favorites and comments! I hope you like chapter 8 :).**

* * *

><p><strong>Anna POV<strong>

Anna silently entered the Salvatore mansion by climbing through an open window. Everything inside the room was layered with Stefan's scent, but it was fading and she wondered where he was. She left the room on her toes and entered a hallway. She could hear Elena's heart beating from behind one of the doors and… kissing noises? She didn't know whether to be surprised or disgusted. Did Damon compel Elena? She knew he'd noticed her presence when she heard him move.

She decided not to wait for him and opened the door. She'd barely entered the room when something knocked her off her feet and her body slammed into a wall. She gasped when Damon's arm crushed down on her throat and she slammed her knee into his stomach. He released his hold on her and she pushed against his shoulders to get some distance between them.

"I can't say you're making me feel welcome, Damon. What would Stefan think of that?" She said, slightly out of breath.

"Anna." Damon greeted her coldly.

She rolled her eyes. "Jeez, if I'd know you'd react like this, I would've just knocked."

"What are you doing here?"

"I actually came to see Stefan. My mother told about you guys being in town and I wanted to catch up." This wasn't very unbelievable, Anna thought. She'd visited them often when they were new vampires. But now it had been over seventy years ago since she'd last seen them, and she did like Stefan.

Damon frowned, and Anna knew he wondered about how much her mother had told her.

"I know about the doppelganger, Damon." She said casually, and she plopped down on one of the leather chairs. It was just a guess, but she was pretty sure about Elena being the doppelganger. She'd never met Katherine, but she knew about the Salvatores search and it wasn't hard to connect the dots.

Damon's eyes narrowed. "And you don't mind? I thought you were dating her brother?" He moved to one of the drawers in the back of the room and began to search for something.

Anna shrugged. "_Dating_ isn't really the right word. I like my blood fresh and warm."

Damon stood next to her in a flash. She turned, ready to fight, when she felt a sharp, painful sting in her side.

"You're lying." She heard Damon say, right before she fainted from shock and pain.

She woke up a few seconds later, but her sight was foggy and she couldn't move. She was still sitting in the leather chair and saw Damon walk over to her.

"What the hell?" She whispered, her voice hoarse.

"You're a good liar, but I'm better." He said, searching for something.

Anna thought about Jeremy. She'd left him in the car, saying she'd be back soon. She'd parked the car far away from the house, in case they would see or smell him, and she'd come on foot. She was supposed to see where they held Elena, pretending to be on their side, and leave. Then she and Jeremy would decide on the best way to get Elena out of the house. If it had been Stefan, it would've worked. She hoped Jeremy wouldn't leave the car to come look for her.

Anna heard a knock, but she was dizzy and didn't know where it came from.

"Damon? What's going on, are you okay?" Elena's voice sounded from behind a door.

Anna was confused, Elena was worried about Damon?

Damon groaned. "Didn't I tell you to keep quiet? I'll explain later." He called out. Then his arms slipped underneath Anna and he lifted her up.

She wanted to jump away, to kick him and attack, but ever part of her body ached and it took all she had just to stay conscious. She glared at him between coughs. Damon wasn't fighting fair, drugging her with vervain. She could easily take him down in a fair fight.

He brought her to a room in the back, it was almost empty and seemed to have served as a study. He let her lean against the wall and she slid down to sit on the floor, not trusting her legs.

"What are you doing?" She croaked.

"I'm making sure it will take you quite long to free yourself." He said, while pulling her arms back.

"Free myself?"

"Listen, Anna, you're here to get Elena out, and I don't blame you for that, I don't want her killed either." He sighed.

"You don't? Why not? I thought you were crazy for Katherine." She frowned.

He looked at her with a weird expression on his face.

If her throat hadn't felt like sandpaper, she would've laughed. "You care about her? That's… twisted."

"I'm going to try to get her safe, and I'm not sure how I'm going to do that, but for now I think it's best if no one knows where we are."

"Then why go through all this trouble?" She asked, trying to flex her fingers. "Just leave and let me go."

"I don't trust anyone, you know that. So I want to make sure you won't follow me to get to Elena. I'm sure her brother won't like it if I leave with her, and I know he's more than a snack to you."

"How did you know I was lying?" She asked, annoyed.

"You gave him vervain." Damon said, crouching behind her.

Anna sighed and then screamed. Her wrists were _burning_. She pulled at them but it only got worse.

"Sorry." Damon said, not sounding sorry at all. "I just need to be sure."

Anna cursed at him. He'd tied her wrists together with ropes soaked with vervain, and her skin was bright red and bloody.

"How am I going to free myself now!" She growled.

"You'll manage. And I'm sure the little Gilbert isn't too far away. Don't try to follow us."

"How do you know she _wants_ to go with you?"

"Because I know she doesn't want to die, and right now, there's a good chance she might." He snapped. Then he turned and locked the room.

* * *

><p><strong>Elena POV<strong>

Elena heard Anna scream somewhere inside a room and bit her lip. She didn't know what was going on and she hated being locked up. It reminded her of her first days in the house, and she remembered how scared she'd been of Damon. She knew he hadn't changed, of course, but she'd get to know another side of him, and she didn't want to lose that.

When she heard him unlock the door of the study, she could see that he was turning into his scary self. His eyes softened when he looked at her, but there was something about him that told her to be careful.

"Get the most important things from your room. We're leaving." He said, already heading towards the kitchen.

She followed him and almost had to run to keep up with him. "What do you mean, we're leaving?"

"Anna was here to rescue you. If we want to find a way to save you from Klaus, no one can know where we are." He said, while taking every blood bag out of the fridge and placing them in a cooler.

"Why not?" She asked, not convinced that this was a good plan.

"Because word travels fast, especially if a vampire needs information, and I don't want him to find us." He unlocked a closet and began to gather things Elena assumed were weapons. She couldn't figure out how some of them were used, but they were wooden, spiky and scary.

"Where's Anna?" she asked, thinking about the scream she heard.

"I locked her up, but she'll be able to get out."

"You hurt her." She said accusingly.

"That means something very different to us. It's annoying, but it usually doesn't have consequences. You just get through it and then it stops."

Elena grimaced.

"Would you just get the stuff you need? We're leaving whether you want to or not." He was putting normal food in the cooler now.

Elena sighed and left the room. She didn't agree with him about having to hide, but she didn't have a choice. The good thing about this, was that when Anna got free, Jeremy would know the truth. He would know she was okay and that someone was looking out for her.

When she'd gathered her clothes and few belongings, she put them down at the front door. Damon walked over to her, carrying more stuff than Elena thought they would need.

"Damon? Can I write a note to Jeremy? I'll just say that I ran away because I needed to be alone. He knows the truth, but he could give it to Jenna." She looked at him hopefully. She'd been worried sick about her aunt and brother, and even though running away wasn't like her, Jenna would be relieved.

Damon frowned, but nodded. Elena quickly got some paper and wrote a short message to Jenna. She wrote another one for Jeremy, without the lies she wanted Jenna to believe. She slipped them under the door of the old study, where she knew Damon had locked up Anna.

Damon took her hand when she was ready, and led her to the car. They had to cross the lawn to get to it, and Elena realized this was the first time she'd been outside in… how long had it been? She counted in her head: The two days she'd been too afraid to leave her room, the five days with Stefan in the house, ten days of longing for Damon. She'd been away from home and locked up in the house for seventeen days, but it seemed like a lifetime. Suddenly, she didn't mind leaving and running away with Damon, at least she'd have a change of scenery.

It was dark outside, and she wished they could leave while the sun shone. She wanted to feel the warmth on her skin when she stepped outside, thinking it would seem more like an escape to freedom. Now, with the porch-light casting long shadows on the driveway and the eerie quiet of the night, nothing made her think of freedom. They were just hiding, fleeing, unseen.

She could barely see, and she held on to Damon with both hands to make sure she wouldn't trip over anything. Damon dumped all their stuff in the backseat and plugged in the cooler. Elena sat down and waited for Damon to get in. She reclined her seat so she could lie down and get some sleep, the day had been emotionally draining. She closed her eyes, thinking about how Damon had kissed her that morning, hoping she would dream about it. She felt him stroke her arm, he squeezed her shoulder gently and then started the car.

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><p><strong>Jeremy POV<strong>

Jeremy's foot tapped against the floor of the car nervously. How long had it been since she'd left? An hour? That wasn't what they'd planned, and he was dying to get out of the car, but he didn't want to ruin everything by showing up at the house. So he waited.

When it had been two hours, he couldn't take it anymore. If something had gone wrong and they knew she was lying, it wouldn't matter if he showed up. And maybe there was something he could do to help her. It was a long way to the house, and he decided to drive the car just a little further, in case they needed to make a quick escape. He stopped the car when he could see the house. He circled it, approaching it from behind to look through the windows.

Two of the rooms had light shining through the windows, and he carefully looked through the first one. It was an empty room, a bedroom. It was tidy, but clothes hung over a chair and he recognized Elena's coat hanging on a hook behind the door. His stomach twisted and he had to look away. When he reached the window of the other lit up room, he forgot to crouch. He saw Anna sitting against a wall, her hands behind her back, her eyes closed. He tapped on the window, trying to keep it silent. Her eyes opened immediately and when she saw him, her face cleared. She yelled something at him, but he couldn't hear her. She mouthed the words exaggeratedly.

_They are gone._

When he was sure that was what she meant, he searched the ground for a big stone. He didn't bother checking the doors or windows to see if one was open, he needed to get in _now_. He'd gotten a better look at her face, and he'd seen tearstains on her cheeks. He smashed the stone through the window, the big hole it left made it easy for him to open the window and get inside.

He rushed over to where Anna was sitting, confused. Why wasn't she moving? She could've kicked down the door if she wanted to, he was sure of it. And tied hands shouldn't be a problem either.

"What happened?" He asked, holding her face between his hands. "What's wrong?"

"Damon figured us out." She said, clenching her teeth. "I'll tell you everything later, Elena's okay, could you get me out of these ropes?" She bend forward a little, so he could see her hands.

Jeremy stared at the red, open skin underneath the ropes, and started to pull at them.

Anna hissed, jerking her hands away from him. "Try not to move them. They burn." She said, her voice shaking.

"I'm sorry." He said, looking around helplessly.

"Maybe there's a pair of scissors in one of those drawers." Anna nodded in the direction of the abandoned desk. Jeremy searched it and found something better, a knife.

He sat down next to her, and held the knife against the rope, carefully cutting it. Anna twitched slightly when the rope moved too much, but he seemed to be doing it right.

"Why does it hurt you?" He asked, just to break the silence.

"The rope is soaked with vervain, though by now it feels as if it's _made_ out of vervain."

Jeremy managed to release her hands, and pulled her against him.

"Thank you for coming." She muttered against his shirt.

"I came too late."

"There was nothing you could do. Can I tell you about Elena in the car?"

"Sure." He said, stroking her hair.

"She shoved two notes underneath the door." Anna said.

Jeremy saw them and shoved them in his pocked. "Let's go." He said. He didn't know what they would do next, it all depended on what Anna had heard, but for now he just wanted to get out of the house.

Anna grimaced. "I don't think I can walk yet. He injected me with vervain, it will last for at least another hour."

Jeremy cursed Damon, whoever he might be, for hurting Anna. He bend down and slipped his arms underneath her body, picking her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck, but her hold on him was weak. He knew it was only temporarily, but she looked so fragile right now. He swallowed.

"Are you going to carry me all the way back?" Anna asked.

"I moved the car, it's not that far." He assured her.

Jeremy looked at her face, and though he could see she wasn't feeling very well, he knew she was enjoying being cradled in his arms. He managed to get out through the window while carrying her, and then walked over to where he'd parked the car. He gently placed her in her seat and sat down behind the wheel.

"We can't get to Elena. Damon left with her, and he locked me up to make sure we wouldn't follow. You don't need too worry, though. He's trying to keep her safe." Anna said.

She started to talk about what happened from the moment she left the car, but he interrupted. "So the only thing we can do right now is go home?" He asked.

She nodded miserably.

"Then we'll go home, and you can get some sleep." He said softly. He could see that she was feeling awful, and speaking obviously hurt. If he couldn't do anything for Elena at the moment, at least he could make sure Anna got better.

She smiled at him, and then fell asleep within minutes.

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><p><strong>AN: I hope you like where this is going, Damon and Elena on the road together :). Tell me if there's anything you would like to see happening during their trip, maybe you'll inspire me ^^. Any comments or thoughts? Please let me know :). Thank you so much for reading!<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Hi! I know it's been a while since I updated, but I was away from home and didn't have internet :s. Here's part one of Damon and Elena's road trip, hope you like it!**

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><p><strong>Elena POV<strong>

It was dawn when Elena woke up, and it took her a few seconds to remember why she was in a car. Then she recalled what happened the night before, they'd left the house in a rush and Damon hadn't told her what they were going to do next.

He smiled at her when he noticed she was awake, and reached out to take her hand.

"Did you drive all night?" She asked, while stretching her arms and legs a little.

"We left only a few hours ago, it hasn't been that long. There's a cooler behind your seat if you're hungry."

She reached for the cooler and rummaged through it. Normal food and blood bags were piled against each other, and she almost lost her appetite. She was hungry though, so she fished out a sandwich.

"Do you want… something?" She asked, gesturing at the cooler.

He shook his head. "I'll have to save them a bit, I don't know when I can get more."

"So you don't know what we're doing next?"

He shrugged. "I just want to get away from the house, it's the first place they'll come looking for you."

"You mean Klaus?"

Damon nodded, his eyes darkened and he began to drive faster. "He won't take chances, he'll want to find out if Stefan is telling him the truth, and he'll send some of his minions to come and get you."

"How does Stefan know where Klaus is?"

"He doesn't. You can only find Klaus if he wants to be found, and he'll definitely want to speak to Stefan if he hears about you. So Stefan had to spread word about having found the doppelganger, and there's a good chance he found Klaus by now."

"So we're just on the run?" That didn't seem like a very good idea to her. If Damon didn't know where Klaus was, they could be driving _towards_ the danger without knowing it.

"For now, yes. But I'll figure something out."

They stopped only twice that day, so Elena could use the bathroom, and when it became dark, they were surrounded by woods and pine trees and there wasn't anywhere they could stay for the night.

"So we'll sleep in the car." Elena said, shrugging. She didn't particularly _like_ that, but she didn't get why Damon was being so nervous about it. The dark woods with their eerie sounds weren't exactly comforting, but surely that wasn't what was bothering Damon. He kept glancing around and getting out of the car, making sure everything was alright.

"Maybe we should just drive all night and get away from here. You can sleep while I drive, I don't need to rest."

"Of course you do. What's wrong? Is there someone out there?"

"No. I mean, I don't think so. It's just a feeling I have." He said, frowning. He was looking pale and tired, and Elena worried about him.

"We'll do whatever you think is best, but don't forget you didn't get any sleep last night either."

He considered that. "If anything happens, I should be as strong as possible. We'll stay here."

She could see that he wasn't happy about staying, even though he tried to pretend that everything was fine.

He left the car again, though. When he came back, he gave her a branch, carved into a stake.

"I won't let anything happen to you, but keep this near, just in case." He said, stroking her cheek.

"Aren't you staying here?" she asked, she hadn't minded sleeping in the car, because she'd thought he'd be with her. If she was going to be alone, the woods suddenly looked much creepier.

"Of course I'm staying here. I'm just going to check out the woods every few hours, you won't even know I'm gone."

"Okay." She said, and kissed him softly, but part of her still worried.

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><p>Somewhere in the middle of the night, a sharp sound woke Elena up. Her eyes shot open and she was suddenly completely awake. She knew she was alone without looking, the low, even breaths she'd gotten used to were gone. She realized Damon was just making sure everything was safe outside, but her stomach twisted. Her hand closed around her stake and she sat up straight. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep until Damon was back.<p>

She waited for a long time. The little clock on the dashboard showed her Damon had been gone for at least forty-five minutes. He'd never been gone that long when he went to check the woods before. Was it stupid to worry about him? He was a vampire after all. But he'd told her people would come looking… Was it possible someone had already found them? She waited for another five minutes and then silently opened her door. It was a warm night, and the moon managed to shine through the trees. The ground was covered with pine needles and sand, and she was glad. Dried leaves would've made it hard to be silent, and the sand could show her Damon's footprints. She smiled when she found it, a trail of disturbed ground.

"Damon?" She whispered, awkwardly holding her stake in front of her.

No answer came, and she followed the trail further into the woods. She was starting to feel stupid and scared, and was about to head back to the car, when she heard someone talk.

"If running away is your only plan, you might want to reconsider. No one has ever escaped Klaus." A men's voice said. The man spoke with an accent Elena couldn't place, but it seemed to come straight out of an old movie.

"So he heard about it?" Damon's voice sounded muffled, and Elena silently followed the voices.

"Of course he did, he heard about it straight from the source."

"You mean Stefan talked to Klaus in person?" Damon seemed surprised.

"Don't underestimate your brother. He must really want Katherine, he sure tried hard to get to her."

Elena could almost see them and she was starting to relax, if they were talking this casually, there probably wasn't any danger.

"So Katherine's still alive?"

"Klaus kept his promise, but will not free her if he does not get the doppelganger."

Elena could see them now, they were still pretty far away but a crack between the trees gave her a clear view. What she saw made her clasp her hand to her mouth to keep silent. Damon was lying on his back and another guy had his knee pressed to Damon's throat. It surprised her how relaxed Damon sounded, given the circumstances. Elena started to panic. What was she supposed to do? Just the thought of showing herself to a vampire who was able to take down Damon made her feel sick. But if Damon got hurt, that guy could find her easily and do whatever he wanted with her. She guessed that they hadn't heard her because they were talking to each other, and the pine needles muffled her steps. Hearing her heart pound in her chest, she moved closer. She raised the hand in which she carried the stake, and couldn't help but feel stupid. If the vampire heard her and turned around, she could be dead in a second. But she guessed he couldn't kill her, Klaus wanted her alive. She tried to stop the babbling in her head and focused on the scene in front of her.

"He can't have her." Damon said, his voice hoarse.

Elena was close enough now to see his jaw clench, he struggled underneath the other's hold but couldn't free himself.

She approached them slowly. She couldn't believe neither of them heard her. Her heart seemed to be as loud as a drum, and she held her breath in case they could hear her scared panting.

"Oh really? Your brother seems to have a different opinion. You should know that when Klaus learns that your brother's story is not true, he will not be happy. "

Damon frowned.

"I will take the doppelganger with me, after I kill you, and Klaus will decide what happens to your brother when he hears I had to track you down."

Damon paled.

Elena swallowed, she knew they had no choice, but she didn't like that running away could cause Stefan harm.

"Don't you even _think_ about touching Elena." Damon spat in the other's face. Elena was surprised to hear him talk about _her_, while his brother's life had just been threatened.

The man pressed down harder on Damon's throat, and she heard him groan.

By now, Elena was only a few steps away from the men. The vampire's back was turned to her and Damon couldn't see her either. She raised her arm high, guessing that she'd have to push the stake down hard if she wanted to do any harm. She heard Damon grunt once more, then leaped forward and smashed her arm down in the vampire's back. He froze right before she hit him, as if he heard her, but her stake pierced his flesh with a sickening sound before he could turn around.

Time seemed to stop after that. The vampire's body went rigid, turned into an ugly grey color and hit the ground with a _thump_. Elena brought her hands to her mouth, too stunned by the fact that she'd just killed someone.

"Oh god!" She gasped, quickly backing away from the body.

She glanced at Damon. He kept looking back and forth between her and the body next to him.

"What was _that_?" He asked, couching a few times.

Elena just shook her head. Her hands were trembling and she was feeling cold.

"Hey," Damon frowned at her, scrambling to his feet. He walked over to where she was standing and pulled her close. His arms wrapped around her and she drew in a shaky breath.

"Let's get you back to the car, and then I'll take care of this." He said softly.

Elena nodded.

* * *

><p>Damon half-carried her back to the car and gently eased her into her seat.<p>

"I'm going to take care of the body, I'll be right back." His thumb rubbed comforting circles on her hands. "Will you be okay?"

She nodded. "It was just… It was so _awful_." She shuddered, remembering the way the stake plunked down in the vampire's back.

"I know, I know. I'll hold you all night if you want, I won't let you go, okay? I'll be gone for just a second, promise."

"It's okay. I'll be fine. Just come back."

He kissed her before heading back into the woods.

"Oh, and Damon," She called after him, "could you bring me a new stake when you get back?"

He nodded.

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><p>He didn't take long, and when he returned he didn't sit down behind the wheel. He sat down next to her and reclined the seat. She was still trembling slightly and he pulled her body close to his. She leaned against him and let him stroke her hair until she fell asleep.<p>

She woke up a few times that night, her hands searching for Damon. He was always there, and it never took long before she fell asleep again.

The next morning, Damon started the car early. He was focused on the road and didn't talk much. Elena decided to give him some space, he hadn't had a great night either. He'd almost died, and then he'd comforted her all night.

When evening came, Damon's dark mood hadn't passed and Elena's legs ached from being stuck in the car for so long. She hadn't seen a road sign in a very long time, and they'd passed by the last houses at least four hours ago. Damon looked tense, and Elena wondered if he even knew where he was going.

"Damon?" She patted his arm to get his attention. "Are we still just driving away from the house, or do you have an actual plan?"

He rolled his eyes. "Of course I have a plan. I'd never come here without a good reason." He glanced out the window with a disgusted look on his face.

Elena peered out the window in surprise, everything looked the same as it had for hours. "Where exactly is 'here'?"

"You'll see a village in a few minutes, we can eat and sleep there." He didn't look very excited about that.

"You've been here before."

He nodded grimly.

"What's wrong with it?"

He shrugged. "I don't know how to explain. Few of us know about this place. It's where you need to be when you need any kind of supernatural help."

She could see that he didn't like talking about it, and decided to ask about it later. Damon was right, after a couple of minutes, she could see the first houses between the trees.

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><p><strong>AN: Sooo.. I hope you liked it ;). thanks for reading and please review :) !<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: I know it has been way too long since I updated! Anyone who's still reading this story: I wish I could bake you dozens of cookies, you deserve it. **

**Also: I added some mythology that isn't originally in the series, hope you don't mind :).**

**Anyways, I hope you like chapter 10! There's a new character in this one :)**

_Disclaimer: Of course I still don't own the Vampire Diaries.._

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><p><strong>Elena POV<strong>

It was very quiet when Elena and Damon reached the first few houses, there were no people outside and Elena couldn't spot a car anywhere. The whole town looked strange to her. The houses were old, but well kept and it seemed as if they'd entered a different time. Damon was driving slowly down one of the narrow roads, and he obviously knew where he was going. They seemed to leave the houses behind them, but then he parked in front of a white cottage at the end of a lane surrounded by trees.

"Who lives here?" Elena asked quietly.

"A friend." Damon seemed to have become less moody, he was stretching out his arms and took a few deep breaths.

"A friend as in someone you're going to force into helping us?"

He smiled, for the first time in hours, and playfully pulled her against him. "A friend as in someone we can trust."

"I thought you didn't want to be here." Elena said, confused.

"I meant the town, it's best if we stay away from those houses." He frowned.

Talking about the town seemed to upset him, so she decided not to bring it up again. Damon didn't wait at the door but led her around the back. He knocked on the backdoor and opened it without waiting for an answer.

They entered a small kitchen, and Elena loved it immediately. Light flooded the small room because of the big windows, and the walls were painted a cheerful yellow. Little wooden boxes were piled onto the counters and there were flowers everywhere. Elena took a deep breath and smiled.

"Lucy?" Damon called.

"Hold on, I'm right there!" A voice came from somewhere inside the cottage. A few seconds later, a young woman entered the kitchen. She had glossy black hair, skin so pale it seemed almost translucent, and a round, friendly face. When she noticed Damon, her green eyes widened in surprise. Then she flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around him.

"Damon Salvatore! I can't believe you're here!" She laughed excitedly.

Elena stood to the side and watched Damon hug Lucy. She realized she'd never seen him be friendly to anyone but her, and she tried very hard not to be jealous. The joy on his face wiped away any of those feelings, though. The tense set of his shoulders had finally disappeared, and she liked the way his eyes had lightened up.

Damon ruffled Lucy's hair and then took Elena's hand, pulling her to his side. "Lucy, this is Elena." He said, with such pride it made her blush.

"It's so great to meet you." Lucy smiled warmly at her and squeezed her hand in greeting. "You're stressed out, I'll make you some relaxing thee." she added, and turned to rummage through her cupboards.

Elena glanced at Damon questioningly, did she look tense or stressed out? Her muscles ached a bit from the long car ride, and she was still feeling weird because of the night before, but she didn't think it would show on her face.

Damon shook his head. "Lucy's a witch."

Lucy, still looking for leaves to put in her tea, froze when he said that. Elena feared that this was something she wasn't supposed to know, but Damon didn't seem worried.

"A _brilliant_ witch, I mean." He added quickly.

"And don't you forget it!" Lucy laughed. "I got him out of trouble more times than I can count." She said to Elena, mockingly narrowing her eyes at Damon. "And something tells me you being here has something to do with that."

"It does." Damon said seriously.

"Tell me." Lucy sighed, turning back to the leaves she'd dumped on the counter.

while Damon explained everything to Lucy, Elena watched her. She already knew everything Damon was saying, and she didn't like hearing it again. She was also too shocked to really grasp what they were saying. Lucy was a witch. She probably should've realized that other things existed besides vampires, but somehow she'd never gotten around to thinking about that. Lucy was about as tall as she was, but seemed more delicate. She wore her long hair in a loose knot at the back of her head and her wrists were covered in all sorts of bracelets.

She sat down with two cups of tea and placed one in front of Elena. "So what it all comes down to, is that you're in big trouble." She said, interrupting Damon.

"Exactly."

"Well, you both seem tired, why don't we come up with something in the morning?" She smiled.

Damon didn't seem convinced, but Elena was glad they could let their worries go and rest.

"I'll make sure that everything you need is in your rooms." Lucy said, and left the kitchen.

Damon had been leaning against the counter, but now moved to sit on a wooden bench against the wall. Elena left her chair and sat down beside him, her hands curling around her warm cup of thee.

"How long have you known Lucy?" She asked curiously.

"I met her shortly after I turned."

Elena had to keep her mouth from falling open. "What? I mean, she's- how?" She couldn't find the right words and just stared at Damon.

"She's _very_ powerful Elena." Damon said softly. "I keep forgetting that you barely even know things. Like, Lucy being a witch. It must've been a surprise to hear that witches are real."

Elena nodded, and leaned against him. "What else is real?" She asked.

He laughed. "I'm not even sure. Apart form vampires and witches, the only others I know of are werewolves and ghosts."

"Ghosts? Like, people who died?" She looked up at him.

"Are you thinking of your parents?" He stroked her cheek. She didn't answer, and he shook his head. "It's not like that, Elena. From what I've heard, ghosts are spirits who've been disturbed. Someone summoned them or they need to make something right after they die. Humans don't often become ghosts."

Elena nodded and the kitchen was quiet. They heard Lucy fumble around in closets until she entered the room a few minutes later.

"The rooms are ready. I only have single beds, I'm sorry." she winked at Elena, making her blush.

A bit later, Elena decided to go to bed. She hadn't had a great night, and she knew Damon hadn't slept at all.

The bedroom Lucy had readied for her was as yellow as the kitchen, cheerful and bright. Vases with flowers stood everywhere, and the whole room smelt like a rose garden. Elena changed into her nightgown, crept under her covers and tried hard to fall asleep.

It didn't work. Sleep wouldn't come, and oddly enough, the room was scaring her. The moonlight turned the yellow into white, and the flowers made strange black shadows on the walls. Elena knew she was being silly, but it didn't make her feel any better. She kept thinking about the night before. About how easily that vampire had found her and Damon. What if there were others? What if they were waiting outside the house right now?

Eventually, she couldn't take it anymore. She got up and slid out of the bedroom, looking for Damon. She saw light coming from under a door, and knocked.

"Come in." It wasn't Damon, but Lucy. Elena didn't care, she needed company. She pushed the door open and found Lucy in what she assumed was the living room, even though it looked more like a basement. It was a little lower than the rest of the house, and darker too. The walls were left bare, and the red stones gave the room a warm, comfy feeling. They were lined with low wooden cabinets, which were covered in books and wooden boxes. A single lamp hanging from the ceiling filled the space with a yellowish light. Elena loved this room, it seemed as if they were cut off from the rest of the world.

Lucy was curled on a big leather couch with a book in her hands. She patted the cushions next to her. "Come here."

Elena sat down and pulled her legs up, wrapping her arms around her knees. "I couldn't sleep."

Lucy nodded. "You look like you could use some, though."

Elena shrugged. "My mind just won't shut up. I don't know why."

"I do." Lucy said, putting her book down. She squinted at Elena. "There's dark energy inside you." Her eyes widened in surprise.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Elena frowned.

"Some things radiate dark energy. When you have it inside you, it's hard to rest. Like when someone dies with dark energy inside them, they could become a ghost."

"Why would I have it inside me? I don't even know what it is!" Elena looked down at her body, trying to see something. She had no clue about how you could recognize this thing, and having Lucy tell her it was inside of her made her feel weird.

"You can't see it, I'm not even sure if Damon can. I can sense something about you if I concentrate, but even then it's hard. Dark energy is sneaky." Lucy said lightly.

"Well, how do I get rid of it? How did I even get it in the first place?" Elena didn't get why Lucy wasn't panicking.

"Didn't Damon say you killed someone? Killing someone releases a lot of energy, and some of it is dark." Only then did Lucy notice Elena's wide eyes. "You don't need to be afraid, it goes away by itself, just like when you use normal energy." She said gently, placing one hand over Elena's, but when Lucy touched it, there seemed to be a spark, and Elena jerked back in surprise.

"Wow." Lucy said, looking at her own hand. "You're using it right now."

"What does that mean?" Elena asked, her voice high.

"I don't know." Lucy said, sounding bothered. "I don't really know much about it."

"Just tell us everything you know." Damon said, startling the girls. He was standing in the doorway, looking concerned, and then sat down next to Elena in a flash. "Whatever it is, I want it gone." He sounded worried, and Elena wondered if he had a reason to.

"All I know," Lucy said, "is that evil witches use dark energy to practise magic. They get it from some sort of sacrifice, a place where bad things have happened, or a kill. If dark energy gets inside someone who doesn't use it, it fades away. Or at least that's what I thought. I also know it fuels worry and anger, and it makes you restless."

"So why didn't you tell Elena? At least she would've known why she was having trouble sleeping, or why she was so scared all the time." Damon pulled her against him protectively.

Elena glanced at him, surprised. She hadn't known that he knew how scared she really was.

"Because I didn't know!" Lucy exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "I can't see dark energy if I don't focus on it, and when I sensed it a few minutes ago, I guessed it was just a slight trace from when she killed that vampire."

"And it's not?" Elena asked.

"It doesn't make sense. You were radiating it when I touched you. The only reason why you would…" Lucy didn't finish her sentence and her eyes widened.

"Lucy, what's wrong?" Damon grabbed her wrist.

"Do you know who you killed last night?" Lucy asked Elena.

Damon answered. "Why would Elena know him? I didn't even know him."

Lucy ignored him. "Elena, what did he look like?"

"I don't know… It was dark. But he had a weird accent, not like anything I ever heard."

Lucy's expression darkened. "Was he wearing a suit?"

"Yes." Damon said. "Who was it?"

"Elijah." Lucy breathed. "It had to be." She pushed herself up from the couch and headed towards a stack of books. She ran her finger over the spines, searching. Then she pulled out one of the older looking books and joined them again. She opened it and flipped through the pages, quickly finding what she was looking for.

"_Originals_" She read aloud. _"The Originals are the first vampires in existence and as such, all vampires are blood-descended from them. They are also significantly more powerful than any other vampire created since then. There are nine Originals, but it has been centuries since any of them, apart from Niklaus and Elijah, have shown any signs of live._

_Originals are known to have only two weaknesses: White ash wood used along with the charmed silver dagger, and the power of an extremely strong channelled witch._

_It is said that killing an original – either permanently or not – will release a great surge of dark energy which will flow into the killer. One should be careful with this amount of power, since only the ancient witches can control it."_

Lucy lowered the book and looked at them for the first time since she started reading. Elena felt Damon's arms tighten around her and her hands were trembling.

"You think I killed Elijah. And I didn't really kill him." She whispered, staring at Lucy.

"That's the least of our problems." Damon said, making the girls raise their eyebrows.

"Having some ancient vampire we failed to kill on our trail isn't our biggest problem? He could be blabbing about it to Klaus right at this moment!" Elena stared at him unbelievingly.

"Did you even hear the rest? You have that dark stuff inside of you! It can only be controlled by ancient witches and you're just randomly radiating it!"

"Damon's right." Lucy nodded. "We need to get it out of you first."

Elena slowly let out her breath. Being kidnapped by two vampires, being a key to breaking an ancient curse, loving a vampire, meeting a witch, and now being filled with dark energy. Right. She could handle that.

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><p><strong>AN: It won't be long before I update again. Promise! <strong>

**Did you like it? What do you think of Lucy? **

**Please review, it would mean the world to me :).**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Hope you like it :) I re-read this a few times, but I'm exhausted so I might have overlooked some typos/mistakes. Please tell me if you find any, so I can change it. **

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed & favorited, you're awesome!**

_Disclaimer: I don't own the vampire diaries.._

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><p>"<em>Damon's right." Lucy nodded. "We need to get it out of you first."<em>

_Elena slowly let out her breath. Being kidnapped by two vampires, being a key to breaking an ancient curse, loving a vampire, meeting a witch, and now being filled with dark energy. Right. She could handle that._

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><p><strong>Elena POV<strong>

A few minutes later, Elena was sitting on the floor with a candle in front of her. Lucy was rummaging through her cabinets, looking for herbs, and Damon was sitting next to her, holding her hand. Elena tried to keep calm. It would only take a few minutes, and then everything would be fine.

"Finally!" Lucy yelled, half hidden in one of the cabinets. She scrambled out backwards, pulling out a little box and a heavy-looking book.

"Found it?" Damon asked impatiently.

"Yes," Lucy sighed. "It's been long since I needed this."

She poured some water into a small bowl and added some dried leaves. Then she lit the candle and placed it inside the bowl.

"So what are you going to do?" Elena asked, nervously intertwining her fingers.

"I'm going to make the dark energy flow from your body to mine. According to most of these books," she gestured at the dozens of books littering the room, "I am an ancient witch." She looked offended. "So I can keep the energy under control and use it later."

Elena nodded, "Do I have to do anything?"

Lucy shook her head and reached out to take Elena's hands. "Just hold on to my hands. I don't know how this works, exactly, so I don't know if you'll feel anything, but you can't let go."

"Okay." Elena clutched Lucy's hands tightly. Damon sat on his knees behind her and held her by her waist. She braced herself for whatever was going to happen.

Lucy closed her eyes, frowning. Elena heard her mutter something quietly, but couldn't understand the words. Then she felt something happen. A warmth was building inside her chest, and she could feel it become hotter and hotter.

"Damon?" She breathed.

"What is it?" He asked quietly, his lips brushing her ear.

She shook her head, trying to make sense of what she was feeling. She wanted to explain, but couldn't find the words. It was getting hotter, making her breathe harder.

"It's hot. It feels too hot." She gasped. She tried to move her upper body, wanting to feel something other than the fire gathering inside her, but it overpowered everything else she felt.

"It's probably the energy gathering before leaving your body." He said, sounding unsure.

"Okay." She gasped, not really believing him. "She did say there was a lot of energy."

Damon nodded.

Elena glanced at Lucy, who still had her eyes closed and seemed to be in some sort of trance.

It became hard to think about anything but the heat. She needed to get away from it. Her body jerked involuntarily, and she gasped for breath.

"Damon, I'm burning!" She tried to scream, but she couldn't get enough air. She couldn't bear it, and suddenly, holding on to Lucy's hands didn't seem very important anymore.

Damon held her back. His arms locked around her, making it difficult to move, and scorched her skin. Even her nightgown was too much, the fabric burned her wherever it touched her. She trashed, trying to make everything go away, but couldn't think clearly enough.

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><p><strong>Damon POV<strong>

Damon locked one arm around Elena's waist, stopping her from getting away, and tried to hold her and Lucy's hands together. Elena was writhing in his arms, gasping for breath and trying to scramble away. Lucy was still in her trance-like state, but she seemed to know that something was going on, because her hands clutched Elena's more tightly, not letting go.

Elena didn't speak to him, but she kept going on about burning and fire.

After a few seconds, Damon found a hold on her body that made it impossible for her to move, but he didn't like it. He was sitting behind her, trapping her legs between his knees. He held her waist with one arm and her shoulders with the other. He knew by now that he was hurting her wherever he touched her, but there just wasn't any other option.

He held on for a few more seconds, trying to calm her. Then Lucy came out of her daze. Only Elena's whimpering showed them that it wasn't over yet.

Suddenly, Damon felt a shock go through Elena's body, and Lucy gasped when it reached her. She pulled her hands away from Elena and looked at them.

"That was the energy. It left her, I've got it now." Lucy's voice was shaking.

Damon barely heard her. Elena had gone limp in his arms and he shook her body. "Elena? Wake up!"

Lucy kneeled by his side and placed a hand against Elena's cheek. Damon watched her face and let out his breath when he saw her smile in relief.

"She's fine, just a little drained. She'll wake up soon."

"So everything's okay now?" Damon asked hesitantly.

Lucy nodded. "It should be. It turned out a little different than I expected, but I guess that's not too strange. It _was_ a lot of energy. What exactly happened?"

"I'm not sure." Damon frowned. "We'll ask her when she wakes up. For now, I'm just gonna get her in bed." He scooped Elena up and cradled her in his arms.

Lucy followed him to the room he was staying in, and when he'd put Elena down on the bed, he turned to face her.

"Are you alright?" He asked her. He'd seen her drawn face and shaking hands, and it worried him.

"I'm gonna be just fine." She assured him. "And it won't take long, the energy will help me recover faster." She smiled a little, but she clearly needed sleep.

He pulled her into a hug and rested his chin on her head. Her slender body trembled against him and he kissed her forehead. He loved her like a little sister, but somehow she was always the one who protected him. He thought he should probably do something about that.

"Thank you." He said.

She laughed. "I'm tougher than you think, Damon. From the moment I do so much as cough, you think I'm about to faint. You've always been this way." She patted his back, and yawned. "I'm going to bed. Wake me if Elena doesn't feel better when she wakes up."

He nodded, watched her leave and then sat down on the bed. Elena seemed cold, wearing only her nightgown, and he wrapped her sleeping body in a soft blanket. When he turned to lie next to her, she immediately rolled over towards him and cuddled up against him. He smiled and stroked her hair, waiting for her to wake up.

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><p><strong>Elena POV<strong>

When Elena woke up, the first thing she noticed was the rise of Damon's chest against her cheek. She sighed happily, and decided to sleep a little more, until she remembered how she'd fallen asleep and jolted upright.

"Elena?" Damon pushed himself upright. "Are you okay?"

"The fire!" She said, her hands touching her chest and throat, where the fire had been the hottest. "It's gone!" She laughed, relieved and light-headed.

Damon smiled and pulled her close. "So you're fine?"

"I am." She said, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him happily. "Did everything go as it was supposed to? I didn't really… pay attention."

"Everything turned out okay." Damon said. "But Lucy didn't expect you to feel that much. She wants to know what happened, exactly."

Elena grimaced. "I'm not even sure. I mean, it felt like I was about to burst into flames, but it must've just been in my head."

Damon shook his head. "Not necessarily. It could've been the energy, building up inside you before leaving your body."

Elena shrugged. "I don't care. I'm just glad it's gone now." She shuddered slightly, remembering the heat. "So what do we do now?"

Suddenly Damon froze, his hand raised to hush her.

"Guys!" Lucy yelled from the kitchen. She sounded a little nervous, her voice high-pitched, but not scared.

Damon cursed and his hand circled Elena's wrist. He pulled her with him to the hallway, his body shielding her protectively.

"What's going on?" She whispered from behind him.

"Elijah's here." Damon hissed.

Elena's breathing hitched. "Is he coming inside?"

"He can't, he's not invited in. But he's… waiting at the door?" Damon sounded puzzled.

"Damon! Get over here!" Lucy yelled from inside the kitchen, annoyed now. Then, because Damon didn't move a muscle, she opened the door to the hallway. "What are you waiting for?"

"What's going on?" he asked, his voice slightly different than usual. Elena wished she could see his face, but her view was blocked by his body.

"For God's sake, draw back those fangs and listen!" She put her hands on her hips. "Elijah's here, and he wants to talk to you. If you just stay inside, nothing can happen to Elena. And besides, he told me he wouldn't try anything, so calm down."

"You believe him?" Elena asked, surprised. She stepped around Damon, who held her back by her wrist.

"Of course not!" He hissed.

"I do. I've known him forever, I trust him."

Elena couldn't quite understand that, but Lucy sounded sincere.

"Oh, right, I forgot. You professed your undying love for him. Do you remember that he declined?" Damon said coldly.

Lucy looked as if Damon had just slapped her in the face and stared at him, hurt clear in her eyes. She made a choking sound and then turned back to the kitchen.

Elena wanted to ask Damon what that was all about, and why he never told her anything about it, but Damon seemed to have forgotten her.

"Lucy! Wait-" He called after her, and followed her into the kitchen.

Elena hesitated. She wanted to know what was going on, but didn't really want to get in the middle of everything. She didn't know what else to do, though, so she followed after Damon and closed the door behind her.

Inside the kitchen, the situation would've been comical if she hadn't been so scared. Damon was looking pleadingly at Lucy, who raised her eyebrows at him.

"Please, Lucy. How many times do I have to say it? I'm sorry, really."

Lucy was clearly trying not to show any emotions, but the hurt was still clear on her face. "Later." she said.

At the same time, Elijah was standing awkwardly in the doorway. He obviously didn't know what to do with himself, and was waiting for Damon and Lucy to turn to him.

Elena was glad he hadn't looked at her yet, though he must've heard her enter the room. She quietly moved to the corner the farthest from Elijah and tried to disappear. It didn't matter, because just then he turned to look at her. His eyes widened a little when he saw her.

"Elena." He said softly, greeting her.

Immediately the conversation between Damon and Lucy quieted. Damon moved to her Elena's side and Lucy went to stand between them and Elijah.

"Maybe you should explain, before he rips your heart out." Lucy told him, her eyes darting to Damon anxiously.

Elijah smiled slightly, as if he doubted Damon's ability to do that.

"I'm here to negotiate." He said, leaning against the doorframe. "You see, it was never my intention to bring the doppelganger to Klaus."

"What do you mean?" Elena asked, her voice shaking a little.

Lucy turned to look at her. "When Damon told me what happened in the woods, I realized something didn't fit. He told me Elijah planned on bringing you to Klaus, but I knew that those two hadn't spoken in a very long time. So I guessed that Elijah had his own reasons for tracking you, and I called him after Damon had carried you to bed. Turns out I was right."

"You know that Klaus needs the doppelganger to unbind the curse?" Elijah asked

Damon and Elena nodded, both frowning.

"All I want to do, is keep him from doing just that. I planned on killing you, Elena, and making the sacrifice impossible."

Elena backed away from him, hiding behind Damon.

"But he _won't_." Lucy said pointedly. "Because I have something that's much better."

Elena looked at her expectantly.

"The power to kill Klaus." Lucy smiled triumphantly.

"And you're okay with that?" Elena asked Elijah incredulously.

He shrugged. "Over the years, a lot has happened between me and my brother."

"How do you have enough power to kill Klaus?" Damon asked Lucy. "You'll get yourself killed!"

"Think about how much energy I took from Elena last night, just because she killed an original. And it wasn't even a definite kill. I could do a lot of damage with that amount alone. Add that to my own powers, and a little good thinking, and we're good."

"Yes. Though I must admit I don't look forward to that part of her plan." Elijah said. "She plans on killing me again, to build up more dark energy."

Elena didn't trust this. Lucy was probably being honest, but Elijah being willing to have Lucy kill him seemed to go a bit far. Why would he do that for them, if not long ago he just wanted to kill her and Damon?

Damon didn't seem to be worried about Elijah's truthfulness, though, he focused on Lucy. "Do you even know how risky that is? What if it doesn't work?" He sounded angry, but Elena knew that he was just worried.

Lucy held her head high and crossed her arms. Elena had to admit that she didn't seem to be the fighting type. With her long glossy, black hair, knowing green eyes and elegant body, she looked wise and considerate, not tough. But looks can be deceiving, Elena reminded herself.

Damon seemed to agree with her, though. "Lucy, think about this. You're not a fighter, you're supposed to be the reasonable one." He pleaded.

Lucy grimaced, as if she knew that he was telling the truth, but wouldn't admit it. "It's not a physical fight, Damon. I can do more than you give me credit for." She said it coldly, but Elena thought she saw fear in her eyes.

Damon shook his head. "Won't you say something, or are you going to let her do this?" he asked Elijah.

Elena remembered that there was something between Lucy and Elijah that she didn't know about, and she was determined to get an explanation later. For now, the conversation was making her feel tired and she moved to sit on a chair. Everything seemed to be going on _around_ her, as if she wasn't a participant but just a spectator, and she didn't understand half of what they were saying. She decided to just listen and wait until they'd figured something out. All she knew, was that it was going to be a _long_ day.

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><p><strong>AN: I hope you liked this chapter, and if you have an opinion on this: do you like that Lucy and Elijah know each other somehow?<strong>

**thank you so much for reading!**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: I know it's been a _very_ long time since I updated, and I could give you a list of excuses and reasons why, but I guess you'd all rather just read the new chapter :) I won't disappear again, promise :).**

_Disclaimer: Nope, tvd still isn't mine.._

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><p><strong>Elena POV<strong>

The conversation in the kitchen seemed to go on for hours, and after some time Elena just stopped paying attention. Damon seemed to know all about Elijah, and she was a little miffed that he hadn't told her anything when they'd found out it was him who'd tracked them. Elijah still wasn't invited in, but he didn't seem to mind staying outside. When they mentioned Stefan's name, Elena listened more attentively. Up until now, the conversation had involved names of people, places and mythical things she'd never even heard about, and she was glad to finally understand a bit of what they were saying.

"So Klaus hasn't heard from you in ages, but you _do_ know everything that's going on in his live." Damon stated sceptically. Elena could tell that his distrust had disappeared almost entirely though, and she wondered how Elijah had managed to convince Damon.

Elijah sighed. "You're just looking for an excuse now, I know you don't want to trust me, but you have no choice."

"What do you propose we do?" Damon said. He ran a hand trough his hair, which told Elena that he was nervous.

"I say we follow Lucy's plan. The only question left is should we go to Klaus, or do we make him come here?" Elijah frowned.

"Go to him." Lucy said immediately. "I don't like it when people know where I live, and you can be sure that Klaus takes a whole army with him if he comes."

"So we pay him a little visit." Damon smiled grimly.

Elena was glad that they were finally planning something, instead of throwing insults or mistrusting glances at each other. "Where does Klaus live?" She asked.

"Have you been listening at all?" Damon raised his eyebrows, and Elena shot him a guilty look.

"Right now he's staying very close by so we're lucky, you'd be there in a day if you drive fast." Elijah explained.

Elena smiled. She kind of liked him and his calm ways, though she wasn't sure they could trust him.

"I would like to talk to Elena in private." He announced, and suddenly Damon was standing in front of her.

"Not a chance." He said coldly.

Elijah didn't seem very impressed and craned his neck to look at Elena. "I promise you I won't do anything to hurt you. You have my word."

Elena stepped around Damon. She nodded at Elijah, but felt Damon's hand snake around her wrist.

"Damon, it's fine. I'll stay inside, I'll be safe." She assured him, looking pointedly at his tight hold on her wrist.

"I'm not letting you alone with him." He said, while his fingers closed even tighter.

Elena gasped at his strength, though he wasn't hurting her, and yanked her hand away. "I'm not your hostage anymore." She spoke through her teeth.

Damon's grip faltered while a strange emotion crossed his face, and Elena used that moment to pull away from him.

"I want to know what Elijah has to say." She glanced at Lucy, who was already leaving the room. Damon opened his mouth as if to say something, but then disappeared too.

Elijah was smiling slightly when she looked at him. "You found yourself quite the protector."

"He found me." She scowled. "And it's not like he didn't have a reason, you did try to kill him."

Elijah nodded. "True. But you killed me instead."

Elena bit her lip nervously. "Your didn't really die, so I didn't kill you, technically."

"Don't worry, I don't care." Elijah shrugged. "I am merely surprised."

"What did you want to talk about?" Elena asked, eager to start a new topic. She didn't exactly want to reminisce about how she killed him.

"If I had to guess, I would say you are a selfless person." Elijah's voice was soft.

"You don't even know me."

"I think your actions say enough. Saving Damon while there was a great chance you would die."

"I wasn't thinking."

"So being selfless is a reflex." Elijah said, smiling.

"Where are you going with this?" Elena didn't get why he was being so cryptic. "Get to the point."

"Fine. I don't want you coming with us." Elijah crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"What? Why?" Elena frowned. She realized that not going with them made something turn in her stomach. What they were planning was pretty dangerous. What if something happened to Damon? She wouldn't know. She wouldn't be there.

Elijah looked alarmed, her thoughts must've been clear on her face, and shook his head. "Listen to me before you decide to argue." Then he sighed. "Please come closer? I feel awkward talking to you across an empty room.

Elena hesitated, but then crossed the kitchen and leaned against the other side of the doorframe.

"I do have very good reasons to leave you behind. It's for your own safety. Did the Salvatore's explain to you about the doppelganger?"

Elena shrugged. "Not really. I mean, I know I look exactly like some girl they loved, and that Klaus needs one of us."

"Right. You are a descendant from a girl I knew when I was human. Me and Klaus, we both liked her, just like the Salvatore's who loved Katherine." Elijah's face softened and he raised his hand as if to stroke her cheek. He didn't, though, but Elena moved away.

"Don't worry." Elijah shook his head. "I don't feel anything for you but some slight brotherly affection. It's Klaus who I am worried about." He frowned. "He never really got over it, though he likes to pretend he doesn't care. If we want to kill him, he needs to be as weak as possible. With you being around, he will be unpredictable. Not just because you are what he needs to break the curse, but also because you wear the face of the only girl he ever loved. Even if you don't show yourself, he'll recognize you scent as one of the Petrova Bloodline."

Elena was a bit taken aback by what he said. "But Katherine's with him. Isn't that the same?"

Elijah shook his head. "Not really. Her blood doesn't smell the same as when she was human, it's no Petrova blood anymore. I can only imagine how repulsed he is by her becoming a vampire."

"But I can't just stay here." Elena said, trying to sound strong while she felt awful. She had to go with them! She couldn't stay behind, not knowing what was happening. What if none of them came back? She wouldn't know if they succeeded or not, she'd be on the run forever. She didn't even know how to get home!

Elijah frowned, seeming to know what she was thinking. "we will succeed and come back." He said.

"You can't promise me that." Elena sighed. "There has to be a way for me to be with you. We'll find a way. Now I need to find Damon." She'd seen his face when he left the room, and while she was still mad at him, they needed to talk.

Elijah nodded, but didn't seem very convinced. "Please consider what I told you."

"I will. Thank you for telling me." Elena turned away and headed towards her room, thinking that maybe she did trust Elijah.

When she entered the room, Damon was sitting on the edge of her bed with his head in his hands. Elena stopped in front of him and ran a hand through his hair. He didn't react and she placed her hand against his cheek."Hey?" She tried to make him look at her but he stubbornly stared at the carpet.

"Don't be childish!" She said, almost snapping. She was mad at him, but now he was making her feel guilty. It wasn't her fault, was it? Just because he was a vampire, didn't mean that she couldn't make her own decisions.

"You should've trusted me." She said, ready to leave it at that.

"Because he didn't kill you?" Damon asked skeptically. "Maybe him not being able to get inside had something to do with that."

"No! Not because he didn't _kill_ me, but because I'm not stupid! Do you really think I'm suicidal? I can back down when something gets too dangerous, I don't need you to handcuff me."

Damon mumbled something, and Elena sat down beside him on the mattress. She didn't like arguing with him, and decided to ignore his stubbornness.

"And I do trust Elijah," she added lightly. "He really sounds honest, and Lucy said so too."

"Lucy's biased." Damon said, lifting his head and rolling his eyes.

Elena smiled a little, glad that at least he wasn't sulking anymore. "Elijah thinks I should stay behind." She said, a little miffed. She already knew what Damon would say, if he wouldn't even let her talk to Elijah, he'd never let her be anywhere near Klaus.

"And you want to be there." He stated.

"Of course I want to stay with you. What if something happened?"

Damon surprised her and nodded. "We'll find a way. There has to be something Lucy can do to mask your presence."

"Oh. Yes, of course!" Elena said enthusiastically. She hadn't even thought about Lucy and her magic. She jumped up from the bed and planned on asking Lucy immediately, but Damon grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

"Lucy's kind of… busy." He said. "She hasn't seen Elijah in a very long time."

"Oh." Elena bit her lip. "Well, then I'll just ask her later."

She sat down again and Damon pulled her closer. He ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her neck, and the last of her annoyance at him disappeared. Wasn't she willing to risk her life, just to know for sure that he didn't get hurt trying to kill Klaus? Of course he tried to keep her away from anything he might distrust. Though he better not try it again, she didn't even mind anymore.

"As long as they're busy, we could do something useful while we're waiting." He said, his hands slipping underneath her shirt. She shivered when his fingers ran along her spine, and pulled his face to hers. "Great idea." She mumbled against his lips, while her hands knotted in his hair. And suddenly, she wasn't as eager to find Lucy anymore.

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><p><strong>AN: So, I hope you liked it :) I don't really deserve reviews after being gone for so long, but I would love to hear your opinion. Thank you so much for reading this and sticking with me!<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: I know it's been ages since I last updated and I'm so so sorry. Thanks for sticking with me if you did :).**

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><p>Elena was pretending to be asleep, but she guessed Damon knew she was faking. She felt his eyes on her and smiled.<p>

"I know you're staring." She mumbled.

Damon didn't speak, but his fingertips stroked her bare back lightly, making her shiver.

"We should get up and find Lucy." Elena said. She pushed herself up to her elbows and looked down at him. He was lying on his back, his arms crossed behind his head. Her eyes lingered on his chest and she bit her lip. Somehow they'd both lost their shirts and Elena didn't mind one bit. She brought her face closer to his and let her long hair tickle his skin. Damon cupped her face in his hands and reached up to kiss her.

"She'll know how to help. Everything is going to work out." Damon assured her. His eyes were troubled but his voice didn't waver, and she believed him.

She got up from the bed and picked his shirt up from the floor. She tossed it at him and put her own back on.

"They're done, right? Lucy and Elijah?" Elena asked before she left the room, just to be sure.

Damon grinned but nodded.

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><p>Elena found Lucy in the Kitchen.<p>

"He's not here," Lucy said when she saw Elena looking for Elijah. "I didn't invite him in, Damon would kill me."

"I don't believe he would." Elena said, shaking her head and leaning against the counter.

"Then you don't really know him yet." Lucy grimaced and changed the subject. "So what do you want me to do? Elijah won't let you come with us, and neither will I."

"Can't you use your magic? Conceal my presence or something?" Elena didn't know anything about magic, how strong was it? How much could Lucy do with it?

Lucy frowned, "Maybe… Maybe I know something." She started nodding and snapping her fingers, as if that would help her remember. She disappeared down the hall for a moment and then came back with a dusty leather book.

"This is one of my mother's spell books. I don't really use it because the spells are outdated, but this time it might be helpful."

Lucy pried the book open and flipped through the flimsy pages. "I remember my mother telling me a story about how her sister fell into a sleep she couldn't wake up from because of an illness. Something they would call a coma nowadays. My grandmother asked the spirits for help, and they said they couldn't heal my aunt's body, but they could revive her mind."

Elena was intrigued and wanted to know more, but Lucy found the right page and started to decipher the to Elena illegible handwriting.

"God, this is so old, even I can barely read it." Lucy grumbled. "But anyways, the spirits told my grandmother about a spell that would put my aunt's mind in my mother's body. She could hear and see what my mother saw, and even talk to her with her thoughts.

It's sounds complicated, but my mother agreed to do it immediately. It worked, and for a while everything went according to plan."

"So what went wrong?" Elena asked, nervously. She sensed this story wouldn't have a happy ending.

Lucy grimaced. "My aunt died, or at least her body did, before my grandmother could reunite it with her mind. My aunt stayed inside my mother's head, but that couldn't last forever or my mother would go crazy. It's often hard enough to have one mind, imagine having two." Lucy shuddered.

"They decided to put my aunt's mind into an animal's body, she chose a bird. It always stayed around the house and would sit on my mother's shoulder."

Elena almost couldn't believe it, but Lucy obviously wasn't trying to trick her. "So it's risky, this spell." She said, afraid of what would happen if they went through with it.

"I could separate your mind from your body and have it stay with Damon. You would be able to see and hear everything that happens when they visit Klaus. We just need to make sure your body is safe when we leave."

Elena put her head in her hands. This didn't sound good at all and she was almost too scared to go on with it, but she needed to be there with Damon.

"What if I die?" Damon asked. He was standing in the doorway, but Elena hadn't heard him come in. "Will her mind be trapped?"

Lucy shook her head. "It should be able to jump back into her body, no matter the distance."

Elena turned to Damon and took his face between her hands. "You will _not_ die." She said fiercely. "You can't."

Damon nodded, and even though she knew he couldn't promise her something like that, it comforted her. Elena took a deep breath. "Then I'll do it. It's the best solution we have."

Lucy seemed to have expected that answer and started organizing right away. "Good, then that's settled. I need some time to prepare, though. Elena, Damon, explain to Elijah when he gets back, I'll be in the back getting ready."

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><p>An hour later, they had everything planned out. Lucy would transfer Elena's mind to Damon, Elena's body would stay behind and safely locked away. Then the rest of them would set out to find Klaus. Elijah knew the general direction and didn't think they'd have to travel for more than three days. When they were near, Lucy would stake Elijah with an ordinary branch. She would then gather all of the dark energy that was released, and when Elijah woke up again they would make their move.<p>

Elena and Damon were lying down on a rug in the back of the house, where Lucy had taken the dark energy from Elena. Lucy sat down between them, and she was almost ready to do the spell. Elena squeezed Damon's hand while Lucy got a small fire going in a bowl.

"Don't be nervous." Damon said, "Lucy knows what she's doing."

"I know." Elena said, but her voice shook a little. She did have faith in Lucy and she was grateful for the opportunity to go with them, even if it was without her body, but she was nervous as hell and more than a little scared.

Before they got ready, Lucy had told her what would happen. She wouldn't have to do anything but lie still. She and Damon would both get three identical cuts, at their collarbones and in their neck, where Lucy would draw their blood. After that, Lucy needed to talk to the spirits and ask them to move Elena's mind. Elena was curious about that part, but she would be unconscious while it happened because her mind would separate from her body.

"Are you ready?" Lucy said, and placed a small knife against Elena's left collarbone.

Elena swallowed and nodded. From the corner of her eye, she saw Lucy's hand move before she felt the cut. It was just a small sting, and not as bad as she'd expected. A second later, she felt the same thing on her right. Then her hair was swept away to expose the skin beneath and the edge of the knife was pressed against the nape of her neck. The pain was sharp and lasted, and Elena felt something weird happen. In only a few seconds, her mind was getting slower and darker. She vaguely felt Damon's hand squeeze hers and then blacked out.

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><p>Damon saw Elena's eyes close slowly, her eyelids fluttering before staying shut. After a soft gasp, her head fell to the side and he saw a trickle of blood smeared across the back of her neck. He knew this was perfectly normal, but he wanted to get everything done a quickly as possible. He wouldn't be able to feel at ease before he could feel her mind slip inside his head.<p>

"Ready Damon?" Lucy didn't wait for a response and quickly made the three cuts. He knew she had to hurry because small cuts healed almost immediately. When she'd managed to collect some of his blood, he sat upright, his back leaning against the couch.

Lucy added his blood to Elena's and handed him the cup. "This is your essence and Elena's mixed together, so the spirits will know whose minds they need to combine. Drink up."

Damon swallowed the warm liquid and made a face. It was weird, drinking his own blood, wrong somehow. On the other hand, Elena's taste compensated nicely. He licked his lips, savoring it, and then turned to Lucy. She motioned for him to lie down again, which he did, and then placed a hand over his heart. From the moment she put her hand over Elena's, Damon felt a strange stir in his chest. Beneath Lucy's palm, his skin seemed to pulsate. A sheen of sweat instantly covered his chest and forehead, and his breathing sped up. He turned his head to the side to watch Elena, but she didn't seem to feel any of those things. Her body was motionless and even breaths passed her lips. Damon wasn't really worried, but he still wanted to ask Lucy if everything was alright. He couldn't though, since it took everything he had to keep his ragged breaths under control.

He heard Lucy shush him. "We're almost there, Damon, close your eyes for a second."

He did, and at the same time, he heard whispers. Not coming from somewhere in the room, but coming from inside his head. The skin at the back of his neck ached and the voice in his head became louder. It wasn't until Lucy removed her hand from his chest that he was able to think clearly and focus on it.

"…_.Damon?... It's not… are you..?"_

Damon's eyes shot open and he sat upright in a second. "Elena?"

He turned to watch her body, but it hadn't moved an inch.

"_Damon can you hear me?"_

"Yes! Yes, I can hear you." He said, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment. Elena was inside his head. And not just in the way he could hear Stefan speak to him telepathically sometimes. This wasn't just her voice in his head. _Elena_ was inside his head. He could feel her confusion and fear, and even some thoughts he was sure she didn't mean to say out loud.

Lucy was looking at him anxiously. "Everything okay? Is she there?"

"She's here." Damon nodded.

"Elena, do you feel okay?" he knew how to speak silently to her, but he wanted to include Lucy.

"_I don't feel anything."_ She said hesitantly. _"I mean, I do, but… I think I feel _you_. I feel _your_ body."_

"This is really strange." Damon said, dumbfounded. He glanced at Elena's lifeless body beside him and he could feel how scared the sight of it made her.

"_I don't like seeing myself that way."_ She said, her voice small. _"It looks wrong."_

"_I know."_ He told her.

"We need to move her." Lucy said. She stood up and lifted the rug of the floor to reveal a wooden latch. "I have a small basement. It's clean and there's a bed."

Damon nodded and cradled Elena's body in his arms while Lucy opened the latch and flipped on a light switch. A few steps led into a small room with a low ceiling, a bed on one side and a chest of drawers on the other.

Damon put Elena's body down and tucked her in, while he felt her mind inside his head trying to look away. He kissed Elena's cheek before leaving the basement and was surprised when he felt her annoyance.

"_What's wrong?"_

"_Nothing."_

He laughed disbelievingly. _"Don't tell me you're jealous of your own body."_

She didn't answer, which made him laugh harder.

Lucy shut the latch behind them and covered it with the rug. "You'll be safe here, Elena."

"_Tell her thank you."_ Elena told Damon.

"She says thanks." He repeated.

Lucy nodded. "I'm glad that went well. Elijah's waiting outside, let's get on with it."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: kind of a short chapter, but I'll try to update a little bit more frequent ;). <strong>

_**Thanks for reading and please review!**_


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